Khartoum -

The Sudanese Professionals Association put forward a proposal called the "Charter to Complete the Glorious December Revolution" as part of efforts to frame the protest movement with a political vision, addressing the crisis left by the army's seizure of power last October 25, and drawing a road map beyond the stage of restoring the civil and democratic path .

The Sudanese Professionals Association is the spearhead of the protests that ousted President Omar al-Bashir on April 11, 2019.

After the overthrow of Al-Bashir, the assembly - consisting of several professional sectors - was subjected to a violent shake in mid-2020, which led to its division into two factions, one loyal to the isolated transitional government, warning against attempts to hijack the entity by partisan forces, and the second accusing the components of Freedom and Change (Central Council) of deviating from the goals The revolution, and on top of that, the completion of the file of justice for the victims of the dispersal of the sit-in of the General Command by lethal force on the 3rd of June, 2019.

Momentum returned to the rally in his apartment opposed to the isolated government after the growing discontent in the street over its performance, the seizure of power by Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the conclusion of a political agreement between Al-Burhan and Abdullah Hamdok.

The assembly has now become one of the most important fronts of the protest movement, along with the Sudanese Resistance Committees, which are revolutionary groups active in the capital’s neighborhoods and states, and that emerged during the revolution against Al-Bashir.

Relationship with the military

The assembly stipulated in the articles of its charter, which was marketed to a number of sectors of the revolution forces, resistance committees, union forces, demand bodies, and armed struggle movements, that the chosen ones for all positions be aligned with the December revolution and the goals of radical change in Sudan.

As part of demarcating its relationship with the current authority, the assembly demanded the complete overthrow of the military component and its authority.

Among several provisions devoted to reforming military institutions, the charter stipulated that the civilian prime minister obtain the position of supreme commander of the armed forces of a national character and national creed, and that the army’s budget be subject to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance.

The charter called for limiting the army's tasks to protecting the constitution, defending the homeland and citizens from external threats, and protecting borders.

Regarding the situation of the Rapid Support Forces and the forces of the movements that signed the Juba Peace Agreement (October 2020), he called for "the dismantling of the Rapid Support Militia and the armed struggle forces and movements, and the integration of their members, according to standards, into the armed forces."


civil institutions

In the articles related to civil institutions, we find that the charter spoke of a transitional period of 4 years, followed by elections organized by an independent commission.

During this period, a civilian council of ministers governs, representing the de facto executive and administrative authority of the state.


Regarding the council’s priorities, the charter summarized them in “addressing the economic file and the issue of development.”

With regard to the Sovereignty Council, it is made up, according to the charter, of civilian elements, who must perform an honorary role without any executive tasks or powers, and the role of the Council is limited to representing the head of state in international forums.

As for the Civil Legislative Council, with its 250 membership, it is the revolutionary legislative authority, responsible for monitoring the performance of the executive authority, the Sovereignty Council and the commissions, and it issues the necessary legislation to lay the foundations for democratic transformation and implement the state restructuring management program.

Military opinion

So, how will the military deal with the charter of the Association of Professionals?

A question posed by Al-Jazeera Net to the assembly's spokesman, Dr. Al-Walid Ali, said that "the agreement was not originally presented to the generals, and its first item talks about the overthrow of the military component in the transitional authority."

He reminded that the agreement is presented only to the revolutionary forces with an interest in change, and it will be imposed on the leaders of the coup based on the aspirations of the street to establish a civil state.

Not far from Al-Waleed Ali’s opinion, political analyst Abdel Hamid Awad said that the military will not interact with any charter or initiative in the arena unless it includes safe exits from what he described as “the dilemmas of dispersing the sit-in of the General Command and the crime of the October 25 coup, and bearing responsibility for the killing of Ma Approximately 60 people recently participated in peaceful protests."

He continued to Al-Jazeera Net that this extends to the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), who "looks at any future equation at the status of his forces to ensure their independence and influence."

Al-Waleed Ali: The charter is not originally presented to the generals and requires their overthrow (communication sites)

After Hamdok

Al-Waleed Ali denies any effects on the charter and its provisions as a result of Hamdok’s resignation, and said that the drafting of the charter began before the October 25 coup to complete the goals of the revolution, a call that is not affected by time or people.

On the contrary, Professor of Political Science, Dr. Hassan Al-Shayeb, believes that the present scene will produce new situations that go beyond the charter of the gathering of professionals.

He tells Al Jazeera Net that it is expected that a new charter will be proposed by the Forces of Freedom and Change (the National Charter) as part of an attempt to gather all initiatives, and create a wrap around them, away from the vision of the gathering of professionals, which these forces believe is an attempt to restore the hegemony of political forces in the period before October 25 October 2021.

Complexity or opportunity?

Abdel Hamid Awad says that the issuance of the charter by the assembly is enough to add complications to the scene, explaining that its leaders are described as having extremist and decisive opinions who have relied on the revolutionary will. This was exacerbated by the fact that the military rejected in previous times the initiatives of forces with consensual opinions.

In the same category of complexity stands Hassan al-Shayeb, who believes that any political consensus in isolation from the transitional forces increases the division and disagreement, and calls for a comprehensive and complete dialogue that includes making concessions from all parties.

As for the gathering of professionals, it sees the charter, according to Al-Waleed Ali, as a step forward in the course of the revolution, which includes fencing off the protests with a political vision that contributes to completing the goals of the Sudanese revolution.