Sudanese military chief Gen. Abdel Fattah El Burhan on Monday announced the army’s withdrawal from peace negotiations to allow political and other groups to continue the dialogue, paving the way for a civilian government.
Saying that the armed forces will not stand in the way of democratic transition, Burhan stressed that the military “will not be a vehicle for any political party to rule the country” and “will be committed to implementing the outcomes of this dialogue.”
Furthermore, he said the military will dissolve the Sovereignty Council, Sudan’s current governing body, once a civilian government is formed. Burhan formed the Council after the 2021 October coup and comprised 14 members associated with the military. It replaced the previous Sovereignty Council, which was jointly led by civilian and military leaders.
Sudan's coup leader Abdel Fattah al Burhan says army would make way for civilian government, demand made for months by street protesters and repeatedly called for by international community pic.twitter.com/WW0yEBhduo
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) July 5, 2022
Burhan added that once the Sovereignty Council is dissolved, commanders of the military and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) will form a new security body that will be in charge of Sudan’s defence. It will “assume the supreme command of the regular forces and be responsible for security and defence tasks, and related responsibilities, provided that its tasks are completed in agreement with the government that is formed,” he noted.
Burhan’s remarks came almost a week after massive protests erupted across the country, demanding an end to military rule. The general said he was pained by the loss of lives and claimed, “the military and security institutions will heed justice and assist in the investigations that lead to the clarification of facts and the bringing to justice of those involved in the loss of lives.”
The military chief also said that the country is facing a threat to its democratic transition and called on the Sudanese people to “remove existential threats to the Sudanese nation and to work on the transition toward democracy.”
back the military’s statements after the April 11 overthrow of Bashir. Burhan and the SAF promised to fully handover power in order to appease protestors, and then over weeks and months walked back that promise. I would be surprised if the same thing didn’t happen now. 2/2
— Justin Lynch (@just1nlynch) July 4, 2022
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Khartoum and other Sudanese cities for the ‘March of Millions’ to mark the anniversary of the military coup that toppled Sudan’s last elected government in 1989 and heralded Omar al-Bashir’s rise to power. 1989 also marks the year during which the resistance against Bashir took shape.
Protesters demanded a return to civilian rule and called on the international community not to cooperate with the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah El Burhan. Protesters raised banners reading: “No Negotiations! No Partnership!” indicating they would not accept any government with the military.
Security forces shot nine protesters dead in clashes, and 269 people were wounded.
2. What’s the role of the supreme military council? Will be under executive government oversight? What will that mean to security sector reform? Will Burhan and Hemedti head this new council too?
— Hamid Khalafallah (@HamidMurtada) July 4, 2022
The devil is in the details.
In October 2021, Sudan’s military ousted its civilian-led transition government in Khartoum in a coup. Gen. Burhan dissolved the government and declared a state of emergency after arresting Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Burhan said the coup’s purpose was to ensure Sudan’s stability, which was jeopardised due to infighting between the military and civilian parties. Burhan also vowed to share power with the civilian leadership, but his promise has not yet materialised.
Since the coup, the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), the African Union (AU), and the Intergovernmental Authority of Development (IGAD) have been facilitating talks between the military and civilian bodies to restore the path to democracy in Sudan.