Forces for Freedom and Change gives itself two weeks to announce its candidate for prime minister of Sudan

The Forces for Freedom and Change (FCC), one of the most prominent civil associations in Sudan, have assured that they will propose within a maximum period of two weeks their candidate for prime minister of the country, as well as new constitutional reforms, following the request of the military coup leader Abdelfatá al Burhan, who at the beginning of the month asked the civil forces to start transitional preparations.

Al Burhan also announced the dissolution of the military governing body, the so-called Sovereign Council, which will be replaced by another institution specialized in security and defense, although with some additional powers, possibly over foreign policy and even over the guidelines of the Central Bank.

The Sudanese military has decided to raise its hand in response to international criticism of the violence deployed by the security forces following the coup they staged last year; an assault that the military described instead as a security operation in the face of the inability to reach a consensus government after the fall of Al Bashir.

More than 100 people have been killed by security forces’ repression since the coup, according to civil associations in the country. The protests have not ended and, in fact, new mobilizations are expected this Sunday.

The prominent head of the FCC, Mohamed al Faki, has thus confirmed in an interview to the ‘Sudan Tribune’ that “the forces of the revolution will announce, within two weeks, new constitutional arrangements and a civilian prime minister to put the military in front of the fait accompli”.

Al Faki has added that the revolutionary movements that overthrew dictator Omar al Bashir in 2019, as well as armed groups that signed the Juba peace agreement, will have a say in the nomination process.

However, Al Faki has highlighted the need to reach an agreement with the military component to decide the attributions of the new body they are preparing, the so-called Security Council, whose additional powers should not undermine those of the prime minister.

On the role of the former armed rebel groups, Al Faki has expressed his wish that Minni Minawi’s Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) would make good on its promise to accept the “Government of technocrats demanded by the street” instead of offering itself to ministerial positions.

The movements signatories to the peace accords, it should be recalled, are asking for a quarter of the total portfolios but have shown themselves in principle flexible to negotiate, as Minnawi noted on Twitter on Saturday.

Another obstacle is the Communist Party of Sudan, which is preparing its own transitional initiative that could overturn the peace deal in Juba. “This is a power disagreement,” Al Faki has qualified, “but we agree on the independence of the judiciary, the rights of the citizenry and other issues.”