KHARTOUM (Middle East Eye) -- Sudan’s resistance committees have called for nationwide protests after widely rejecting a U.S.-brokered political deal between the country’s military leaders and key civilian elites signed on Monday.
The agreement aims to resolve the political crisis created when the military seized power in October 2021 and build a civilian-led transitional government, but opponents believe it is just a reproduction of the coup and could even allow associates of the previous regime to return to power.
The signatories to the agreement include the military, civilian groups under the umbrella of the Forces Freedom and Change (FFC), the Popular Congress Party (PCP), part of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), some rebel movements, Salafists, tribal leaders and some civil society organizations.
The signing of the deal was attended by the so-called “Quad powers”, which include the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with the support of the European Union, the United Nations, the African Union, and the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) trade bloc.
The deal will reportedly guarantee the exit of the military from politics and enable a “full civilian democratic rule”. The two-year transitional period is set to begin after the appointment of a prime minister by the civilian groups.
A previous transition from military rule following the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 was derailed after two and a half years when the military seized power in October 2021.
Addressing the ceremony, military chief General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy and chairman of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemedti), vowed that the military will no longer interfere in politics and governance, will protect the transition and put an end to repeated coups in Sudan.
Some issues will need to be addressed through talks between the two sides in order to finalize the agreement.
Hemedti admitted that the military coup was a political mistake that had opened the doors for the old regime to return to the scene.
“We have to stop the politicization of the army, stop the army’s intervention in politics, continue with the peace process, solve the issue of conflicts, and spread democracy,” Hemedti said. “I promise to protect the transition until the election.”
However, some political blocs are resisting the deal and have accused the future signatories of enabling the military to have the upper hand in the country.
Sudan’s resistance committees, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) and the Communist Party were to organize nationwide protests on Monday after the deal was signed.
The resistance committees have previously vowed to continue protesting against any deal of power-sharing between civilians and the military, raising what they call the “three no’s”: “no negotiations, no compromise and no legitimacy”.
“This agreement is only ink on paper and we will bring it down very soon, much like the agreement between the former prime minister [Abdalla Hamdok] and the military in November 2021. We will not be ruled by the military again,” the resistance committees said in a statement.
They announced that they would organize five marches in December in rejection of the deal.
SPA spokesman Walid Ali has also rejected the agreement, describing it a setback from the slogans and demands of the revolution that brought down Bashir, the president who governed Sudan for 30 years, in 2019.
Many issues are still points of contention between the different powers, such as the impunity of military generals headed by General Burhan and Daglo.
Ali believes the agreement will allow the military generals to evade accountability.