Sudan: Disagreements between paramilitary and military delay signing of political deal

Sudan’s military leaders and the main pro-democracy network announced Saturday (Apr. 1st) they'd delay the signing of a political agreement.

The deal was aimed at ushering in a civilian government following the October 2021 military coup. The signing was initially scheduled for later that day.

The spokesman for the pro-democracy block explained the apparent deadlock.

"The meeting discussed the developments of the political process that aimed at signing the final agreement today," Khalid Omar detailed.

"The parties discussed the only major point that was left unresolved which is related to a technical case regarding the military and security reform."

Both parties that met in Khartoum, with representatives from the African Union, The UN and the intergovernmental authority on development in Eastern Africa, who have facilitated talks between the military and pro-democracy groups.

Integration timeline

Sudan's ruling generals and the main pro-democracy group on December 5 signed a framework deal until elections but key dissenters have stayed out of the agreement.

According to Shihab Ibrahim, a spokesperson for one of the pro-democracy signatories [Editor's note: Signatories of Framework agreement] the timeline for a security sector reform and the integration of the country’s powerful paramilitary RSF into the military has been the stumbling block.

The army wants a two-year timeline for integration while the RSF has called for a 10-year window, he said.

Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, is the deputy head of the military council and lead the RSF force. He is better known as Hemedti. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is the army chief and the head of the military council governing Sudan.

The parties will continue to work as they aimed for an agreement by April 6th.

"All military and civilian parties have decided to intensify their efforts in order to solve those unresolved technical issues in a period starting tonight and till the 6th of April and to work as hard as possible to find an agreement on the point that is left unresolved before April 6," the spokesman for the pro-democracy block said Saturday.

"And if the deal is concluded then the signing will happen on April 6th."