December 30, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – On the executed copy of the framework agreement signed in Sudan on December 5, there were some blank signature lines assigned to political forces that were not present but efforts are underway to bring them on board.
A spokesman for the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), which represents a coalition of pro-democracy political and civil society groups, told Al-Jazeera TV that they are working at a minimum on getting most non-signatories to join.
This is believed to include the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, Nasserite party, Sudan Liberation Movement and Army (SLA/SLM), the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) along with other trade unions and professional forces.
Would this lead to wider political consensus?
Jaafar Hassan, an FFC official, said that dialogue with JEM leader Gibril Ibrahim and SLM/SLA chairman Minni Minawi is continuing “because we are aware of the importance of their presence” as signatories to the Juba peace agreement.
However, he cautioned that Mohamed al-Amin Terik, a tribal leader in Eastern Sudan who has been leading a semi-revolt, will not be invited to sign the agreement because they are only interested in political forces though they can be consulted in drafting the final agreement as a voice of the societal forces.
On what basis were the signatories determined?
The FFC declared that the ongoing political process only includes those who worked to thwart the October 25th military coup which removed the civilian-led government dominated by the FFC.
This includes political parties, professionals & trade union bodies, civil society, armed movements and resistance committees. All these forces will participate in picking the prime minister and the chair of the Sovereignty Council.
If that is the case why were armed movements like JEM & SLM/SLA asked to join despite their involvement and support of the October 25th coup?
Shihab al-Tayyib, another FFC official explained that they want to preserve the Juba peace agreement while also reforming it and as such these movements had to be included.
On the other hand, figures such as the Secretary-General of the pro-coup National Consensus Forces (NCF) Mubarak Ardol and the head of a faction of the Umma Party Mubarak al-Fadil were deemed to be proponents of partnership with the military and therefore they aren’t welcome, al-Tayyib said.
Ardol has tweeted accusing architects of the framework agreement of seeking to sideline and marginalize them and refusing their input in the process.
Al-Hilu warms up to the agreement
The Sudan People Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) faction led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu who has been stubbornly a holdout even after the ouster of Bashir, told Al-Jarida newspaper in Khartoum: “The settlement now underway in Khartoum is an opportunity to end the coup, return the military to the barracks, and open the way for building a new Sudan”.
Is there a chance to improve political consensus?
Political experts say that it is imperative that designers of the agreement work on expanding the list of signatories and at the same time those opposed to it should seek to bolster the chances of political consensus and achieve the goal of democratic transformation.
The “Solidarity for Democracy and Social Justice” movement said in a statement attributed to the head of the political bureau al-Mahboub Abdel-Salam that it supports the agreement despite its failure to absorb important vital forces in a path towards a multi-intellectually, culturally and integrated Sudanese political society.
It stressed that the success of the transition depends on accommodating the widest possible Sudanese spectrum.
The signatories groups say they are optimistic about the groups of the Juba peace agreement that refuse to join them. They believe that the dynamic generated by the agreement will drive them to jamb on board and join the second phase of the political process.
However, some FFC leaders believe that al-Burhan might seek to use the intransigence of the two holdout groups to get more concessions from them with regard to the security reforms.
Al-Burhan publicly called on Minnawi and Ibrahim to join the framework agreement saying their concerns about the peace agreement can be discussed within the framework of the process.
Several months ago Minnawi brushed aside the idea of forming a transitional civilian government saying this approach aims to exclude them from participating in the next government.
He said that, as an armed group, they have no civil society or technocrats they can propose to take part in the government that would be formed according to the draft transitional constitution.
(ST)
