Sudan

An agreement to relaunch a political transition in Sudan and unlock billions of dollars in frozen international support faces many pitfalls, including distrust of the signatories and splits over issues left to a second phase of talks, analysts say.

While Sudan has been facing a multidimensional political, economic and security crisis since the military takeover of 25 October 2021, the dynamic of recent weeks is cause for optimism, suggesting that it may enter a transitional phase, thanks to a new political framework agreement, the top United Nations official in that country told the Security Council today.

Senior UN officials have welcomed an agreement signed on Monday between military and civilian leaders in Sudan as a “courageous” step forward towards the establishment of democratic rule. Signed in the capital Khartoum after months of negotiations following last year’s military coup which derailed the transition, the agreement aims to establish a new constitution.

More than a year since the military coup of 25 October 2021, some indications of a potential breakthrough to end the political crisis in the Sudan have been observed.

The signatories to the political declaration in Sudan agreed to form a team tasked with negotiating with the military component and set criteria for selecting the prime minister and the government’s program.

At least 265,300 people have been displaced due to inter-communal violence in Sudan’s West Kordofan and Blue Nile states since the beginning of this year, the United Nations humanitarian agency (UNOCHA) said.

The new UN human rights chief ended his first country visit on Wednesday explaining that he had chosen Sudan to “bring a strong message” that human rights must “be at the core” of its transition away from military rule to democracy.

The number of victims of the recent tribal violence in central Darfur state has risen to 48 from 24 reported earlier, said the government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC).

[…] The situation is now becoming alarming. Popular resistance to the coup and its leaders is widespread; Sudan’s economy is in trouble; and splits within the military government could widen into civil war. Mass demonstrations continue, and the authorities to date have killed some 120 peaceful protesters.

According to the UN, inter-communal clashes that have flared up several times since July have caused at least 359 fatalities, injured 469 people, displaced more than 97,000, and triggered extensive property damage. “The clashes between the ethnic communities are rooted in long standing issues over land ownership and ethnic representation”, Alice Wairimu Nderitu said in a statement.