Al Burhan offers Hamdok hand to head government

New political twist in Sudan.  The Sudanese army commander-in-chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has pledged to complete the formation of government institutions "with the participation of all those who have no party alignments" following the coup d'état executed this week.

In a meeting, the commander stated that this government will not include political formations and said he welcomed "any partnership between the military and the civilian component" but without the forces of freedom and change.

Thus, al-Burhan confirmed that the sovereign council will have "the participation of all regions" and noted that in this new phase Hamdok is "welcome" and remains a candidate to "head the next government". 

This new phase is a source of confusion for both Sudanese society itself and the international community. Following the dismissal of the prime minister on Monday and Hamdok's calls for the population to take to the streets in protest, it appeared that Sudan was heading towards the formation of a new all-military government.

However, with Hamdok's welcome return to lead a possible new government, doubts about the country's future have only increased. Al-Burhan's rapprochement with the prime minister indicates that the military does not want to take the reins of the country on its own. Still, the expulsion of the forces of freedom and change signals that democracy and political representation in institutions remains an unresolved issue.

In the face of this delicate situation, the UN Security Council continues to call for "maximum restraint" from all factions in Sudan. This statement was the Council's fourth attempt to try to mediate and agree on a peaceful solution for Sudan. While the international community has called al-Burhan's seizure of power a coup d'état, Russia's deputy permanent representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, said that "these forms are deceptive". Polyansky went on to say that it is difficult to describe the situation as a "coup d'état".

He went on to say that there are many similar situations in the world that have not been labelled as such, so "it is not our task to label such a situation as a coup d'état. It is up to the Sudanese to decide whether it is a coup or not".

The representative also criticised the decision of the United States after the country announced the withdrawal of 700 million dollars in economic aid to the country, aid intended to favour the transition in Sudan. He also reiterated that violence is not only perpetrated by the military, as there are assassinations and aggressions on all sides, and that it should therefore be condemned regardless of who is responsible for it.

The Security Council continues to urge the military authorities to re-establish a civilian-led transitional government and urges all parties to return to a negotiation process in order to "allow for the full implementation of the constitutional document and the Juba Peace Agreement that underpin the transition in Sudan". 

In doing so, the body remains hopeful that the Sudanese people will succeed in achieving their democratic aspirations and declared its "firm commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and national unity of Sudan".

At the same time, they have shown their support for the region's efforts to address the complicated situation. They have been joined in this support by the countries that make up the Arab League as well as the African Union, which decided to expel Sudan from the Union after the military coup.