Hamdok calls for commitment to the constitutional document and peace agreement in Sudan
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok called on all concerned parties in his country on Sunday to strictly adhere to the constitutional document, considering that the current “conflict” is not between military and civilians.
Tensions are escalating between the military and civilian components of the transitional authority, due to criticism by military leaders of the political forces, against the background of the army’s announcement, on Tuesday, of thwarting a military coup attempt.
Hamdok said, in a statement: “The conflict that is currently taking place is not a conflict between soldiers and civilians, but rather a conflict between those who believe in the democratic civil transition from civilians and military personnel, and those on both sides seek to block the path before it.”
Since August 21, 2019, Sudan has been living a 53-month transitional period that ends with holding elections in early 2024, during which power is shared by the army, civilian forces and armed movements that signed a peace agreement with the government on 3 October.
He added: “Therefore, the unity of the revolutionary forces is the guarantee to fortify the transition from all the threats that obstruct its path.”
On April 11, 2019, the army command removed Omar al-Bashir from the presidency (1989-2019); Under the pressure of popular protests condemning the deteriorating economic conditions.
He continued, “I call on all parties to strictly abide by the constitutional document, to stay away from unilateral positions, to bear their full responsibility, and to put the interests of our country and our people ahead of everything else.”
On August 17, 2019, the Military Council (dissolved) and the Forces of Freedom and Change coalition (the leader of the protests against the Bashir regime) signed a constitutional document on the formation of power structures during the transitional period.
He added that the committee to remove empowerment, combat corruption and restore public funds is “one of the gains of the revolution, and defense and preserving it is a duty.”
Cabinet Affairs Minister Khaled Omar Youssef considered in a press conference that the withdrawal of these forces is a step “in a series aimed at weakening the transitional phase and overthrowing it,” calling for “the modernization of the army and its liquidation from the remnants of the former regime (Al-Bashir).
On Sunday, the committee expressed its “astonishment at the issuance of instructions to the joint forces (military and police elements), which guard the recovered assets and real estate, to withdraw and evacuate them immediately.”
Hamdok considered that his initiative known as “National Crisis and Transition Issues” is “the way to expand the base of forces supporting the democratic transition from our people’s living forces, both civilians and military.”
On June 22, Hamdok put forward an initiative of 7 axes: security and military sector reform, justice, economy, peace, dismantling the June 30 regime (Al-Bashir’s regime), fighting corruption, foreign policy and national sovereignty, and forming the Legislative Council (Parliament).
On this initiative, the positions of the parties in Sudan vary between supporters and opponents.
On Tuesday, the Minister of Defense, Yassin Ibrahim, announced the thwarting of a coup attempt, which he said was led by Major General Abdul-Baqi Al-Hassan Othman Bakrawi, along with 22 other officers of different ranks, non-commissioned officers and soldiers.
The head of the Transitional Sovereign Council, Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, accused politicians of not caring about citizens’ problems, while his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), said that politicians are responsible for the coups.
During 64 years, Sudan witnessed three coups and eight failed coup attempts.
Civil officials considered that the accusations of Al-Burhan and Hemedti paved the way for a coup before handing over the leadership of the Sovereignty Council (representing the presidency) to the civilian component, next November.
During the transitional period, the country will be run by a civilian government and a Sovereignty Council consisting of 14 members: 5 military, 6 civilians, and 3 armed movements.
