The Government of Sudan rejects the creation of a new council

The move by Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan to create a new body with broad powers was rejected on Saturday by the country's alliance of the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC). The move gave the Council of Partners for Transition (CPT) broad powers, including the direction of the transition period, the resolution of disputes and "any other powers necessary to implement its powers and exercise its authority".

The transitional government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has rejected the measure, saying that Burhan has exceeded his prerogatives by giving excessive powers to the new body.The official spokesman of the Sudanese government, Faisal Mohamed Saleh, said in a statement last Friday that the decision to form this council is incompatible with what was initially agreed and urged General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan to review his decision.

Faisal Mohamed Saleh pointed out that "the powers (of the council) mentioned in the formation decision, especially the paragraph which provides for granting the council any other powers necessary to implement its competence and exercise its powers, gives the impression that the council will act as a guardian of the various institutions, and this contradicts the political agreement and the constitutional document".

He added that the decision did not take into account the representation of women and young people. Ibrahim al-Sheikh, a leading member of the FFC's leadership council, announced his rejection of al-Burhan's decree, saying that the council's powers had not yet been agreed between the coalition and the Sovereign Council.

Ibrahim al-Sheikh explained that it had initially been agreed to establish a coordinating consultative council to settle the disputes and divergences that may arise between its parties and any new issues that may arise during the implementation of the peace agreement.

The Forces for Freedom and Change was the movement that led the mass protests against Bashir and plays a key role in Sudanese politics. On 11 April 2019 a coup d'état took place which removed then President Omar al-Bashir from power. Since then Sudan has continued to be immersed in a process of democratic transition. After months of intense negotiations, a transitional government led by a civilian prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, was agreed upon with the civilian platform Forces for Freedom and Change, initiating a three-year period in which military and civilians would share power until elections were held. 

Even so, violence has continued to be a constant in the region, specifically in Western Darfur, where last January clashes caused over 11,000 people to flee to the neighbouring country.