Freedom and change reach understandings that pave the way for a final agreement

Sudan’s Forces for Freedom and Change (the former governing coalition) announced an understanding with leaders who refused to sign the framework agreement between the military component and civilian forces.

“We have reached political understandings with leaders in the democratic bloc, JEM Chairman Gibril Ibrahim and SLM Chairman Minni Arko Minawi,” the FFC leader said in a press statement, asking not to be named.

He added that “these understandings set the stage for signing the final political agreement but did not reach the stage of signing a new political declaration”, without further details.

On December 5, the military component signed a “framework agreement” with civilians led by FDLC and other political forces (the Democratic Unionist Party of the People’s Congress), civil society organizations and armed movements under the leadership of the Revolutionary Front to begin a two-year transition.

The Framework Agreement was not signed by the Forces for Freedom and Change (Democratic Bloc), which includes armed movements led by Gibril Ibrahim, Minni Arko Minawi and other civilian political forces, as well as the Communist Party, resistance committees and the Sudanese Professionals’ Caucus.

The Framework Agreement participated in its tripartite mechanism consultations (the United Nations, the African Union, the Government Development Authority “IGAD”) and the quadripartite consisting of (the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates).

The agreement aims to resolve the Sudanese crisis since 25 October 2021, when the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, imposed extraordinary measures, including the dissolution of the sovereignty councils and transitional ministers, the arrest of ministers and politicians, the declaration of a state of emergency and the removal of the guardians.

Prior to the extraordinary demonstration procedures, on 21 August 2019, the Sudan began a transitional phase that was to conclude with elections in early 2024, during which the army, civilian forces and armed movements signed the Juba Peace Agreement in 2020.