Hope for ‘tangible results’ as int’l community close ranks to mediate on Sudan political crisis

The international community has set in motion several initiatives for mediation between the civilian transitional partners behind Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, and the leaders of the military coup led by Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, former chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, that seized power on October 25, to address the current political crisis in Sudan.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Sudan and head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes, expressed his hope that the mediation on the Sudanese issue would reach tangible results within the next two days.

The UN official confirmed during a virtual briefing to reporters on Monday that there are many mediation efforts underway in Khartoum by several parties, stressing the UN support for a number of these efforts and the provision of initiatives and ideas and coordination with some of these mediators.

He said the UN continued to communicate with Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and former chairman of the now dissolved Sovereignty Council, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, a number of leaders of the transitional partnership, the Forces for Freedom and Change, the rebel movements, and others. He is also in contact with the United Arab Emirates and other Arab and African countries, countries outside the region, and major international parties, especially countries in the Security Council.

“The United States plays a key role here as well as neighbours in the region such as South Sudan and Egypt,” Perthes stated.

'What happened in Sudan is a coup and a hijacking of democracy' – Jeffrey Feltman, US envoy to the Horn of Africa

The US envoy to the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, considered that “what happened in Sudan is a coup and a hijacking of democracy,” stressing that “Washington will not accept the elimination of democratic foundations in Sudan.”

In his own press statement, he condemned the dissolution of the Sudanese government institutions, calling for a reversal of the October 25 coup, and stressed the need to restore the partnership between the military and civilians and to release all detainees in Sudan.

He urged the Sudanese to think about how to restore the partnership and constitutional arrangements, and expressed his concern about the democratic path in Sudan after the military coup. He confirmed that President Biden said that the events of October 25 were a major setback.

South Sudan mediation

Tut Galuak, Security Advisor to the President of South Sudan and head of the visiting delegation to Sudan, said that the delegation sat with all parties, including El Burhan and Hamdok, to resolve the crisis.

He said in a press statement that El Burhan is in the process of meeting with Hamdok to reach a final formula. He expressed his hope for the release of the detainees, explaining that Hamdok is in good health.

Troika

The ambassadors of the Troika countries (USA, UK, and Norway) called for the release of PM Hamdok. In posts on Twitter, after their meeting with Hamdok on Monday evening, the ambassadors also called for the release of the other detainees, as “an essential step towards further dialogue”.

They expressed their happiness to see Hamdok in good health, calling for his full release.

The Office of the Official Spokesman for Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok’s government announced the Prime Minister’s adherence, during his meeting with the ambassadors of the Troika, to the legitimacy of his government and the transitional institutions, considering that the release of the ministers and the carrying out of its work by the Council of Ministers in its entirety is an entry point to resolving the crisis.

PM Hamdok stressed that he will not be a party to any arrangements in accordance with the coup decisions issued on October 25. The situation must be restored to what it was on October 24.

UN Security Council

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will hold a special session on Sudan on Friday, following a crackdown on demonstrations and gatherings after the military coup.

The session will begin at 11:30 GMT, according to a statement issued by the council.

Forty-eight countries, including 18 members of the council, called on Monday to hold an emergency session of the UNHRC on Sudan. Among the countries calling for the session are the UK, the USA, Norway and Germany, along with the Sudanese embassy in Geneva and 43 other countries. The countries called to immediately release all political detainees and to fully respect freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.