Formation of transitional government in Sudan delayed by consultations on new political declaration

On Tuesday, several armed groups that supported the 25 October coup have issued a statement saying they are drafting a political declaration based on the 21 November agreement. This agreement called for the formation of a government with the reinstatement of deposed Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, the release of detained politicians and an investigation into the deaths of 40 people killed in protests prior to the coup.

A draft of the political declaration to achieve the third transitional government was published on Monday and announced at a press conference of the National Umma Party on Wednesday, but has been delayed, according to Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, because "the political forces that support the revolution and the democratic civilian transition are engaged in a serious and deep dialogue to agree on a national charter that establishes a broad front to achieve and consolidate the democratic civilian transition," he said on his Twitter account.

The prime minister also added that this preparation of the political declaration will serve as a basis for the formation of a government of technocrats and to complete the structures of the transitional authority. Hamdok also stressed that his government's priorities will be to implement the Juba Peace Agreement, complete the peace process, achieve stability and economic recovery, strengthen the security situation and finalise the democratic transition process through free and fair elections.

The agreement reached on 21 November between Prime Minister Hamdok and the leader of the military junta, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, provides for the adoption of a political declaration defining the framework of the civil-military partnership, after emphasising the military council's oversight of the transition.

Despite this, the draft political declaration has not received the support expected from other groups, such as the Forces for Freedom and Change (FCC), led by Minni Minnawi, which has distanced itself from the draft and the Hamdok-al-Burhan agreement, stressing that the declaration legitimises the 25 October coup by involving a military component in the transition period.

The envisaged agreement for the formation of the third transitional government between Hamdok and Al-Burhan refers to the August 2019 Constitutional Document, but does not insist on security sector reforms, including the integration of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the national army and government control over its economic activities.