Postponement of the signing of the final political agreement in Sudan… Why
As Sudanese hopes for real peace approached on the ground, disagreements between the army and the RSF over the details of the latter’s integration into the army delayed the signing of the final agreement.
The parties to the political settlement between the civilians and the military in Sudan confirmed the postponement of signing the final agreement, which was scheduled for today, Saturday. The official spokesman of the political process, Khaled Omar Yousif, said in a press statement: “The final agreement could not be signed in its charter because it was not possible to reach a consensus on some of the outstanding issues.”
Khaled Omar Youssef, spokesman for the signatories of the political agreement, said in a tweet: “A meeting will be held at 1:00 p.m. today, Saturday, at the Republican Palace, between the civil and military parties to the framework agreement and the tripartite mechanism to determine a new date for the signing of the final political agreement, which could not be signed in its timeframe due to lack of consensus on some of the outstanding issues.”
“All parties will continue to engage in serious discussions to overcome the recent obstacles to an agreement that restores the path of civil democratic transition, creates a civilian authority that will lead the transition, and relieves the suffering of our people who have never wavered from its goals.”
The final agreement was scheduled to be signed on Saturday, April 1, followed by the adoption of a transitional constitution on April 6.
A spokesman for the Alliance of Forces for Freedom and Change in Sudan said that the political agreement between civilians and the military is the fruit of wide consultation among the Sudanese people.
“The solution is different from the past after many workshops and conferences where more than 200,000 people participated,” Jaafar Hassan told a press conference after a meeting of the Central Council of the Forces for Freedom and Change last week, adding that the purpose was for Sudanese to see themselves in the new agreement.
The Forces of Freedom and Change opposed the signing of the framework agreement by some forces, claiming that they are the political arms of the army. Meanwhile, forces supporting the civil democratic transition, including the Communist Party, the Arab Baath Party, and the Resistance Committees, are opposed to the framework agreement because they are unsure of its ability to achieve “state civility”.
“Sudan’s military component signed a political framework agreement on 5 December with civil forces led by Freedom and Change and other political and professional forces, to begin a two-year transition period ending in elections.”
