Working to complete talks over civilian rule deal: Sudan’s army chief

By Adel Abdel-Rahim

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) - Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Thursday said that the signing of an agreement to resume the country’s democratic transition was delayed with the intention of “laying solid framework that maintains the momentum and vigor of the revolution.”

On Wednesday, the opposition Forces of Freedom and Change coalition announced that the signing has been further postponed due to talks between military factions.

Al-Burhan said that the parties are working to complete talks over the agreement.

The signing of the political deal was supposed to take place on April 1 but was postponed until April 6 due to differences between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force. However, it was further delayed on Wednesday.

Last December, Sudan’s military and political forces signed a framework agreement to resolve the months-long crisis.

The deal pledged a two-year transition period and the appointment of a civilian prime minister by the political parties that signed the agreement.

It also called for reforming the military and defense sector, unifying the military and integrating the Rapid Support Forces into the army.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, a move decried by political forces as a "military coup."

Sudan’s transitional period which started in August 2019 was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar