Sudan: What does the release of prominent leaders in the ousted government mean?

KHARTOUM - Days after the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, spoke about the release of political detainees in preparation for a dialogue between the Sudanese parties, the authorities released a number of the most prominent leaders of the isolated civilian government, and the forces of freedom and change, the political incubator of the isolated government, some of whom are prominent leaders in Committee to dismantle the regime of ousted President Omar al-Bashir frozen.

The decision raised a large number of questions circulating in the Sudanese arena between political parties and law enforcement headquarters.

Wajdi Saleh, a member of the committee to dismantle the Bashir regime, described his arrest as political and without legal basis (Al-Jazeera)

Who are the most prominent released?

Most of the leaders of the frozen committee to dismantle the regime of ousted President Omar al-Bashir were released, headed by Muhammad al-Faki Suleiman, the alternate head of the committee and a member of the ousted Transitional Sovereignty Council, and the former Minister of Cabinet Affairs Khaled Omar Youssef, known as “Silk”, along with Wajdi Saleh and Babiker Faisal. And Taha Othman.

Al-Faki and Youssef played a pivotal role during the crisis that erupted between civilians and the military, which ended with the army seizing power on October 25.

The two men called for transferring the presidency of the Sovereignty Council to civilians on time in the second and final period of the transitional period according to the constitutional document between the military and civilians, and the army’s exit from the political scene, something military leaders rejected, and accused civilian leaders of abusing the armed forces and underestimating its role as “a guarantor of Sudan’s security and unity.”

As for Babiker Faisal, he is a prominent leader in the Central Council for Freedom and Change from the Federal Gathering Party, to which al-Faki belongs.

Faisal actively participated in the negotiation rounds that paved the way for the partnership between civilians and the military in August 2019.

In addition to their political activities and their work in the Empowerment Removal Committee, Wajdi Saleh and Taha Othman combined their work in the legal profession.

Saleh belongs to the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, while Taha Othman is a member of the secretariat of the Association of Professionals who led the protests against al-Bashir.

Why and when were they arrested?

The leaders of the committee were arrested last February, and the Public Prosecution charged them with criminal law charges related to breach of trust, violation of the foreign exchange law, and combating unlawful and suspicious wealth, among other charges.

Days after the arrest, the media advisor to the army commander, Brigadier General Taher Abu Haga, announced that the arrest of some leaders of the Empowerment Removal Committee was carried out according to judicial procedures.

On the other hand, the Alliance for Freedom and Change and its various components insisted on describing the arrests as "political targeting."

Brigadier General Al-Taher Abu Haja: The arrest of some leaders of the Empowerment Removal Committee took place according to judicial procedures (Sudanese press)

legal examination

In turn, Muhammad Al-Faki Suleiman described their arrest as "purely political," and he told Al Jazeera Net that despite the accusations against them, the authorities were satisfied with a "sham" investigation with him that was limited to questions such as: How does the committee work?

And who works there?

He warned that attempts to dress their case in the legal guise will have a severe impact on the spread of a state of mistrust in the judicial authorities.

In this regard, a member of the Democratic Lawyers Alliance, Abdel-Khaleq Al-Nouiri, described the arrest of Al-Faki and his companions as "political targeting within a legal framework."

Al-Nuwairi told Al-Jazeera Net that "the release step followed Al-Burhan's statements about his discussions with the Attorney General and the Chief of the Judiciary to release political detainees, which confirms the existence of a clear overlap between the executive and judicial authorities."

He added that "the attempt to legally frame the arrest did not succeed, as the authorities were unable to provide legal evidence against the detainees despite the length of their detention, which confirms that the matter is nothing but political."

Lieutenant-General Muhammad Hamdan Hemedti, Vice-President of the Sovereignty Council, insisted on putting the release of detainees in the context of the law.

Hemedti said - according to the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) - "I am not against the release of any detainee, and I do not interfere at all in the work of the judiciary."

Does the release of al-Faki and his companions pave the way for a new political settlement?

During his meeting with a number of international envoys on Thursday, Al-Burhan reiterated "the government's commitment to a comprehensive political dialogue process that includes everyone, in order to reach a political consensus to manage the transitional period."

Al-Burhan's statements coincide with the announcement of the tripartite mechanism consisting of (the United Nations, the African Union, and IGAD), to launch the dialogue between the Sudanese parties during the first week of next May.

Al Jazeera Net contacted Counselor Taher Abu Haja to comment on the matter, but he did not respond to the call, and promised via text message to call us back at a later time.

For his part, political analyst Seif Ahmed stresses that the release of the leaders of freedom and change paves the way for an internationally sponsored political settlement to resolve the Sudanese crisis.

Ahmed says to Al-Jazeera Net that the military showed good intentions, and sent a message in the mail of international mediators, which makes the ball in the court of freedom and change to be greeted with the same or better ones.

However, journalist and political analyst Shawki Abdel-Azim, despite his acknowledgment that the release of the leaders of freedom and change is a "step in the path of political dialogue", he rules out political effects, especially since the move was made according to legal procedures that may be reactivated again.

Abdel Azim told Al Jazeera Net that the military did not take advantage of the release step to liquidate the stifled political atmosphere.

In turn, Muhammad al-Faki denounced the talks of the settlement, and said, "Most of the revolutionary prosecutors, and instead of talking about the mistake of our imprisonment unjustly, they talked about a settlement behind our release," adding that "this is a political ploy and jumped on the stages."

He ended his speech that during the detention period they refused all forms of communication and meetings with mediators and the leaders of the authority and its allies.

What is the impact of the release of the group on the protest movement?

Muhammad Al-Faki says - after nearly 3 months in detention he spent in isolation from news of the anti-authority protest movement except from paper newspapers that reach them irregularly - that the release of active cadres in the forces of freedom and change contributes to strengthening the coalition line in order to end the military rule in the country.

As for Shawqi Abdel Azim, he says that the street will closely monitor the position of freedom and change, in light of the ongoing talk about political settlements, adding, "I think that the alliance will identify with the street, and try to invest in the exit of its leaders to end some of the differences in attitudes between them and the street."

Protest groups are demanding the leaders of Freedom and Change to apologize for their participation in the military in a transitional period that lasted from August 2019 to October 2021.