Sudan: Will secret and public meetings succeed to end political crisis?

The Sudanese political scene is raging with increasing dynamism these days with the approach of a settlement between the parties of the political process parties. There are differences between those who reject it and those who support it, while many see themselves outside the ongoing debate either willingly or by force.

Some sources mentioned that the tripartite mechanism (UNITAMS, the African Union, IGAD) has set November 15 to launch official talks between the Forces of Freedom and Change - Central Council, the military component, and other stakeholders to end the political crisis that has been ongoing since the military overthrew the transitional government on October 25, 2021.

Leader of the Central Council Noureddine Babiker said that they had reservations about the tripartite step in setting a date for the talks before agreeing on the proposed discussion agenda. He expected a meeting between them and the tripartite mechanism on Sunday to receive the comments of Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on the document that will determine the start of the official talks.

Despite the numerous initiatives to resolve the Sudanese crisis, the document prepared by the Steering Committee for Lawyers has the approval of international mediators, especially the United States, which is pushing the parties to accept it; however, it has not yet obtained internal consensus. Some of the Freedom and Change parties reject the current settlement, while the armed groups that signed the Juba Peace Agreement complain that the document excluded them. The demonstrators, most of whom are young, advocate that any constitutional document must be agreed upon by all Sudanese.

One of the points that the military is considering when reviewing the lawyers’ document is the immunity of army generals from prosecution for crimes they committed against civilians, the most important of which was the massacre of the Khartoum sit-in in early June 2019.

On Saturday, November 5, the Forces of Freedom and Change - Central Council denied any agreement regarding immunity for military leaders.

“We affirm the enforcement of a comprehensive transitional justice process that exposes crimes, holds violators accountable, and does justice to the victims, ensuring that there is no impunity, that crimes are not repeated, and that the wanted persons are handed over to the Criminal Court,” the FFC said in a press statement yesterday.

However, journalist Shamael Al-Nour said that the latest drafting of the legal document in the negotiating rooms prevented legal action against members of the army and Rapid Support Forces by virtue of their constitutional positions regarding any legal violations that were committed between April 11, 2019 and the date of the issuance of the new constitution.

Jusoor Post learned from sources that the other comments of the military component on the lawyers’ proposed draft include the formation of a Legislative Council of only 150 members to reduce differences and the replacement of the Sovereignty Council with one civilian president, in addition to just reviewing but not canceling the decisions taken after the October 25, 2021 coup.

Al-Burhan confirmed the existence of dialogues between the army and the political parties, but he affirmed, “We have red lines, and we will not allow the dismantling of the army or the country. We will not accept the collapse of Sudan while the political forces continue their dialogues.”

This came during his visit to the Hattab Military Base, northeast of the capital, Khartoum, on Sunday, November 6. Al-Burhan stressed that the army will not stand by as the country collapses while the political forces continue their dialogues and that the army will not abandon its weapons and its role in ensuring security.