Freedom and change rejected it.. What are the goals of the Egyptian initiative in Sudan?

Khartoum - Cairo -

Khartoum is witnessing political confusion due to the background of an initiative presented by Cairo regarding hosting factions of political forces to discuss paths of convergence of points of view, and attaching them all to the framework agreement signed by the army leaders with representatives of Freedom and Change and other political and civil forces.

There are no details yet about the Egyptian initiative, with the exception of Cairo's invitations to many political parties and currents to meet in Egypt during the period from the first to the eighth of next February, and to participate in a workshop entitled "Prospects for Democratic Transformation towards a Sudan that can accommodate everyone."

This comes after Egypt's ambassador to Khartoum, Hani Salah, presented, a few days ago, to the head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, an Egyptian initiative to reach a "quick political settlement" in Sudan, days after a visit by Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel to Khartoum on January 2. January this year.

Salah said, in televised statements after his meeting with Al-Burhan, that he talked about the Egyptian initiative (without disclosing its details) to find a quick political settlement on the Sudanese scene, indicating that it was agreed with the head of the Sovereignty Council to clarify these elements more and effectively to the various official and media circles. popular in Sudan.

On the other hand, the "Forces of Freedom and Change - the Central Council" (the former ruling coalition) responded in a statement by rejecting the initiative, describing it as a mobilization of counter-revolutionary forces to undermine the Sudanese popular efforts to restore the democratic civil path, and the statement pointed out that the framework agreement laid a good basis for a process led and owned by the Sudanese. And it constituted a breakthrough in the process of restoring the democratic civil transition, which makes the workshop late and outdated.

Democratic bloc

In this context, an official in the Central Council of the "Forces of Freedom and Change - the coalition" that opposes the Egyptian call - said that the meeting with the head of Egyptian intelligence was frank, in which the leaders of the coalition talked about not having to go to Cairo after signing the framework agreement, which was supported by the United Nations and all European capitals and the United States, along with Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Britain.

The official told Al-Jazeera Net that a leader in the coalition had clearly criticized the Egyptian position, and that Cairo had never been able to deal with Sudan's political situation correctly over the ages, and also informed him that Cairo should support the framework agreement and communicate with the parties to the peace agreement to persuade them to join the agreement, and that freedom and change You will not sit with made blocs, referring to the faction of the Forces for Freedom and Change known as the Democratic Bloc.

The Democratic Bloc includes several political forces, most notably the Unionist Party led by Muhammad Osman al-Mirghani, along with two armed movements: Justice and Equality led by Jibril Ibrahim, and Sudan Liberation Party led by Minni Arko Minawi.

According to information obtained by Al-Jazeera Net in Khartoum, the Egyptian moves seek to join the Democratic Bloc and other forces to the agreement, which is opposed by the "Freedom and Change - Central Council" as overwhelming the political process instead of expanding it by mobilizing the forces of the revolution and supporters of the democratic transition.

Drowning the political process

Al-Rih Sadiq, a leader in the "Freedom and Change - Central Council," believes that Cairo "wants to drown the political process by including parties that have no interest in the civil democratic transition," according to his description.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera Net, Sadiq added that Cairo "at best wants to make loyalists within the political process in order to guarantee its interests through them." Sadiq is likely that Cairo will not be one of the stations that Freedom and Change intends to visit during the coming period within many capitals to advance the framework agreement. "I think now, in light of these developments, maybe the visit to Cairo will be postponed for another time," he said.

As for Shihab al-Tayyib, a leader in the "Freedom and Change - Central Council", he believes that the Egyptian position is driven by unrealistic fears, considering that Cairo's position needs an in-depth discussion at the official and popular levels to understand the project of change in Sudan, and the risks of the political process if it is overwhelmed by many parties.

Nevertheless, Shehab - in his interview with Al-Jazeera Net - reduces the dispute between freedom and change and the Egyptian position, and considers it less than the interests that can bring the two parties together, given that the change in Sudan "was against the Muslim Brotherhood regime and political Islam, which remained a threat to the two countries."

Egyptian targets

On the Egyptian side, Asmaa Al-Husseini, a journalist specializing in Sudanese affairs, considered that "Egypt's desire to restore stability in Sudan is on the list of priorities of its foreign policies due to the nature of the historical and strategic relations between the two countries, and its role in the current stage is focused on overcoming the differences and obstacles between the Sudanese parties in The state of polarization and political tension remained.

Regarding the goal of holding the Cairo workshop for the Sudanese parties, Al-Husseini explained that it aims to achieve the widest possible consensus in order to overcome the prevailing division, attraction and polarization. It is exposed to a setback, as happened with the previous transitional phase, which ended in failure and the dissolution of the partnership between the civil and military components.

However, Al-Husseini expected - in her interview with Al-Jazeera Net - that Cairo would cancel the workshop after the Forces for Freedom and Change refused to participate.

Because it is a major party in any negotiations.

She stressed that the Egyptian initiative does not seek to open a new path for settlement, but rather seeks to strengthen the existing path, and that it be based on more solid foundations and be supported by broad consensus, and the statement of rejection by the Central Council is not directed at Egypt, noting that the United Nations attempt to push the parties Sudan failed to reach an agreement earlier.

Al-Husseini believed that Egypt's support for Sudan and its stability is not linked to its success in holding the workshop or not, and therefore Cairo will continue its role in establishing security and stability in all parts of the country, and the matter depends on the success of the Sudanese parties in reaching a comprehensive and just settlement that accommodates many parties.

According to the statement of the Forces for Freedom and Change, the forces considered that "the workshop represents a platform for the forces of the counter-revolution. They hope to gather in it to undermine the Sudanese popular efforts to restore the democratic civil path. These forces are linked to the defunct regime whose policies harmed the two countries and their people."