Sudan generals sign deal with civilian parties as protesters cry foul

Sudan’s ruling army generals have signed an initial agreement with civilian parties in a move expected to pave the way for ending a crisis caused by last year’s military coup.

The agreement was signed on Monday by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who seized power in October 2021, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and multiple civilian groups, most notably the main civilian faction — Freedom and Change (FFC) — that was ousted in the coup.

Under the agreement, the military agreed it would only be represented on a security and defense council headed by a prime minister. It left sensitive issues, including transitional justice and security sector reform for further talks. The pact set no date for a final agreement or the appointment of a prime minister.

“The goals of the agreement are establishing a fully civilian authority, creating a free climate for politics, and reaching a final agreement with the widest political participation,” said al-Wathiq al-Barir, a spokesman for the FFC.

After signing the deal at the presidential palace, General Burhan said civilian control of politics must be respected. He also repeated a slogan used by protesters to call for the army to exit politics: ‘Soldiers belong in the barracks, and parties go to elections.’

If the deal plays out as planned, the civilian signatories will agree on a prime minister who will steer the country through a 24-month transition.

Last year's military coup halted a power-sharing arrangement between the military and the FFC coalition, and Sudan has been without a prime minister since the start of the year.

Ever since, the country has been rocked by protests, leaving scores of people dead and hundreds more injured. Hundreds of activists have also been arrested in the clampdown under emergency laws.

As the authorities were signing the deal, hundreds of people were protesting in the capital Khartoum against the agreement.

"The settlement is betrayal" and the FFC "sold our blood," demonstrators said.

Protesters have long accused Sudan’s military and ex-rebel leaders, who signed a 2020 peace deal, of exacerbating ethnic tensions for political gain.

“We reject this deal as it overlooked street demands for justice for the people killed since the coup,” said one of those protesters.

Sudan's security officers fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters about 1-1/2 km from the presidential
palace.

The agreement was negotiated in the presence of officials from the United Nations, Western diplomats as well as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), among others, according to the FFC.

“I hope that this agreement will pave the way for the quick formation of a civilian government that can tackle the security, humanitarian and economic situation,” the UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, told the signing ceremony.

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