Huge breaking news from Sudan ! Sudan protesters, army agree on constitutional declaration (Al Jazeera, also the New York Times)
Jai Sen
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Sudan in movement…, Movements in movement…, Justice in movement…
[Huge breaking news from Sudan !
[But – from the New York Times (second article, below) :
“The two sides reached a preliminary agreement last month following pressure from the United States and its Arab allies, amid growing concerns the political crisis could ignite civil war. That deal provided for the establishment of a joint civilian-military sovereign council that would rule Sudan for a little over three years while elections are organized.
“But the two sides remained divided on several issues, including whether military leaders would be immune from prosecution over recent violence against protesters. It was not immediately clear whether they had resolved that dispute.”
So : In solidarity and / but in cautious celebration…
Sudan protesters, army agree on constitutional declaration
Protest leaders reach 'full agreement' with military on a hard-won constitutional declaration, says AU envoy.
The main opposition coalition, the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), welcomed the agreement as a "first step with more to follow" and pledged to complete the journey to "freedom, peace and justice" in Sudan.
The FFC said both sides were expected to sign it on Sunday.
As news of the agreement emerged, people began gathering on Nile Street, the main avenue in the capital Khartoum, honking car horns and ululating in celebration.
"We have been waiting for a civilian state to seek fair retribution from the murderers of our sons," one protester Somaiya Sadeq told AFP news agency.
"We're victorious!" some people chanted while others sang the national anthem.
![Sudanese demonstrators wave their national flag as they celebrate in Khartoum after protest leaders and military agree on a constitutional declaration [Ebrahim Hamid/ AFP]](https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/X6drjdcuZ_f62liuCcmwUPjW90rF_xIDsAMjPQ-A9F9CEH3c5j8ZWEIe_XBCvH25R4IDALnmGydwJWIO6D_offH7l9M9y8U7wgcLkeTjX-DnrImGaTxzJmcu3_6lqL3kSwEGOWkHa1CLL-MiLeeCpL31rZ1jVtf5ooutN6e4GWKL7ZbMUGlBRjzn=s0-d-e1-ft#https://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2019/8/3/f96df07d965e410fa4482eff4cd71bd8_18.jpg "Sudan protesters, army agree on constitutional declaration")
more on Sudan
Sudan's military rulers and the main opposition coalition have reached an agreement paving the way for a new transitional government, the African Union said, after lengthy negotiations following the toppling of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir.
Mohamed Hassan Lebatt, the AU mediator for Sudan, told reporters on Saturday that the two sides "fully agreed on a constitutional declaration" outlining the division of power for a three-year transition to elections.
The document, which outlines the powers and the relationships between the branches of the transitional government, comes after weeks of protracted negotiations brokered by the AU and neighbouring Ethiopia amid sporadic bouts of violence in the capital, Khartoum, and other cities.
The main opposition coalition, the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), welcomed the agreement as a "first step with more to follow" and pledged to complete the journey to "freedom, peace and justice" in Sudan.
The FFC said both sides were expected to sign it on Sunday.
As news of the agreement emerged, people began gathering on Nile Street, the main avenue in the capital Khartoum, honking car horns and ululating in celebration.
"We have been waiting for a civilian state to seek fair retribution from the murderers of our sons," one protester Somaiya Sadeq told AFP news agency.
"We're victorious!" some people chanted while others sang the national anthem.
Challenges ahead
The declaration states that the FFC will appoint a prime minister as soon as the document is signed. The prime minister will be tasked to form the government in consultation with the FFC. However, the defence and the interior ministers will be appointed by the military council.
"The cabinet will have no more than 20 ministers, the FFC will nominate the prime minister. He will then be appointed by the sovereign council, and the prime minister will then form a cabinet and that cabinet will need to be confirmed by the sovereign council," said Ebtisam Sanhouri, a negotiator for the FFC.
The declaration also envisages the appointment of a 300-member legislative assembly to serve during the transitional period. Sanhouri a press conference that the opposition coalition would have 67 percent of its seats and other political groups not associated with al-Bashir would have the rest.
Once the transitional government - or sovereign council - starts work, Sudan embarks on a three-year transition period expected lead to elections.
The negotiators agreed last month that the sovereign council would have 11 members - five officers selected by the military council, five civilians chosen by the FFC and another civilian to be agreed upon by both sides. Its first leader will be from the military.
"This deal cannot fulfill all the people's demands," Madani Abbas Madani, a member of the FFC told reporters. "Challenges are there and will continue to exist for the civilian government, we have a regime which ruled for 30 years, and the system is deeply entrenched."
When the sovereign council is formed, the current ruling body, a transitional military council, will be dissolved. It is currently headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), some of whose members have been accused of involvement in killing demonstrators.
The role of the RSF had been a point of contention during the negotiations. According to a draft of the declaration seen by Reuters the RSF will now fall under the general command of the armed forces.
"We are happy about the agreement and the deal because it is one of the steps that could make this transforming from dictatorship to a democratic country," said Ashraf Mohamed Ali, a protester from the city of Omdurman in Sudan.
"But the agreement does not mean anything for the people unless it is implemented on the ground .. it would be a challenging mission for this government," he told Al Jazeera.
SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies
Sudan Power-Sharing Deal Finalized, African Union Envoy Says
By The Associated Press
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/world/africa/sudan-power-sharing-deal.html
CAIRO — The African Union envoy to Sudan and protest leaders said on Saturday that the pro-democracy movement and the governing military council had finalized a power-sharing agreement announced last month.
The envoy, Mohamed el-Hassan Lebatt, said they agreed on a constitutional declaration outlining the division of responsibilities for a three-year transition to elections. He did not provide further details or say when the agreement would be signed.
But Sudan’s state-run SUNA news agency quoted the protest leader Omar al-Dagir as saying the agreement would be signed on Sunday. Protest leaders also confirmed the development.
The document, which outlines the powers and the relationships between the branches of the transitional government, comes after weeks of protracted negotiations brokered by the African Union and neighboring Ethiopia amid sporadic bouts of violence in the capital, Khartoum, and other cities.
“I am announcing to the Sudanese, African and international public opinion that the two delegations have fully agreed on the constitutional declaration,” Mr. Lebatt told reporters on Saturday.
He said further meetings would be held to work out the technical details of the signing ceremony.
The long-awaited declaration deal prompted celebrations in Sudan, which has been plunged into months of crisis. “We’re victorious!” some people chanted while others sang the national anthem.
The main opposition coalition, the Forces of Freedom and Change, welcomed the agreement as a “first step with more to follow” and pledged to complete the journey to “freedom, peace and justice” in Sudan.
The military overthrew President Omar al-Bashir in April after months of mass protests against his three-decade authoritarian rule. Protesters who have demanded a rapid transition to civilian rule have been locked in tense negotiations with the military for weeks while holding mass demonstrations.
Nine members of the Rapid Support Forces have been dismissed and detained in connection with the killing of protesters, including four schoolchildren, this past week. Last month, protest leaders accused the paramilitary group of opening fire on protesting high school students in El-Obeid, a city about 250 miles south of Khartoum. At least six were killed.
In June, security forces violently dispersed a sit-in by protesters outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, killing dozens of people and plunging the fragile transition into crisis.
On Thursday, at least four more protesters were shot dead in Sudan during another round of large-scale demonstrations, potentially escalating a tense, monthslong standoff between protesters and military leaders.
The two sides reached a preliminary agreement last month following pressure from the United States and its Arab allies, amid growing concerns the political crisis could ignite civil war. That deal provided for the establishment of a joint civilian-military sovereign council that would rule Sudan for a little over three years while elections are organized.
A military leader would head the 11-member council for the first 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for the next 18. There would also be a cabinet made up of technocrats chosen by the protesters, as well as a legislative council, the makeup of which would be decided within three months.
But the two sides remained divided on several issues, including whether military leaders would be immune from prosecution over recent violence against protesters. It was not immediately clear whether they had resolved that dispute.
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Jai Sen
Independent researcher, editor
Now based in New Delhi, India (+91-98189 11325) and in Ottawa, Canada, on unceded Anishinaabe territory (+1-613-282 2900)
Current associations : www.cacim.net / http://www.openword.net.in
CURRENT / RECENT publications :
Jai Sen, ed, 2018a – The Movements of Movements, Part 2 : Rethinking Our Dance. Ebook and hard copy available at PM Press
Jai Sen, ed, 2018b – The Movements of Movements, Part 1 : What Makes Us Move ?, Indian edition. New Delhi : AuthorsUpfront, in collaboration with OpenWord and PM Press. Hard copy available at MOM1AmazonIN, MOM1Flipkart, and MOM1AUpFront
Jai Sen, ed, 2017 – The Movements of Movements, Part 1 : What Makes Us Move ?. New Delhi : OpenWord and Oakland, CA : PM Press. Ebook and hard copy available at PM Press
Jai Sen, ed, 2016a – The Movements of Movements, Part 1 : What Makes Us Move ? and Jai Sen, ed, 2016b – The Movements of Movements, Part 2 : Rethinking Our Dance (both then forthcoming from New Delhi : OpenWord and Oakland, CA : PM Press), open access ADVANCE PREFINAL ONLINE MOVEMENT EDITIONS @ www.cacim.net
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