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Following the coup on October 25, civilian and military leaders agreed to form a new government led by the deposed Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdock, who has already been released from his house arrest. All other political detainees will also be released under the pact, according to the team of mediators created for the negotiations after the seizure of power.
Almost a month after massive protests and suspension of financial aid, Sudan announces a surprise agreement with a view to solving the crisis unleashed by the coup on October 25.
The team of negotiators made up of civilian and military leaders agreed on the return of the deposed transitional prime minister, Abdalla Hamdock, to lead an independent technocratic government, as confirmed by Fadlallah Burma Nasir, leader of the Umma political party, one of the main in the country.
In addition, the mediators have agreed to “release all political detainees”, a demand that Hamdock had put on the negotiating table.
Since the military coup led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Hamdock himself had been under house arrest, as well as most of his cabinet, among ministers and other political leaders.
But the announcement is also received with distrust on the part of some sectors. Sudan’s main civilian opposition coalition, the Forces for Freedom and Change, responded that it does not recognize any political agreements with the Army.
In addition, the opposition movement reported that it will continue the massive protests that reject the control of the military. In fact, after the news of the return of the prime minister was known, thousands of people marched towards the presidential palace in Khartoum, the capital, carrying national flags and photographs of those killed during protests since the military coup. They were greeted by tear gas from the security forces.
#UPDATES Sudan’s top general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok have reached a deal for his return and the release the civilian leadership detained since last month’s military coup, mediators say pic.twitter.com/G4pfnn304F
– AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 21, 2021
The recent seizure of power by force thwarted the transition to democracy that Sudan was trying to sustain, following the overthrow of the autocrat Omar al Bashir in 2019.
Despite the negotiations that were underway, the new turn is surprising. Last week, Gibreil Ibrahim, finance minister of the ousted government, but that supports the Army, assured that the return to an Administration with the deposed authorities was “unrealistic”.
The leader of the coup, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, dissolved the Sovereign Council, the civic-military body that governed the country and which he led, as he justified to “avoid a civil war”, given the discrepancies between the leaders politicians and military who shared power.
The pressures that would have motivated the new agreement
According to Sudanese officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, the United Nations (UN), the United States and other governments played “key roles” in forging the new agreement.
The interruption of the process that tried to achieve political stability in the country unleashed a wave of massive protests and strikes, to which the actions of the West were added.
In retaliation for the coup, Washington suspended the delivery of $ 700 million in direct financial assistance, a severe blow to a country’s already devastated economy.
In addition, the World Bank canceled its disbursements for Sudan. The financial situation became even more acute after the separation of South Sudan, made official in 2011, taking with it more than half of public revenues and 95% of oil exports.
Likewise, different civil organizations and governments in the region raised their voices against the response of the military to those who demonstrate in the streets.
On November 17, in one of the largest protests against the Army, 15 people were shot dead by soldiers. And the total of deaths, since the coup, amounted to around 40, according to figures from the Central Committee of Doctors of the country.
With Reuters AP and local media
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