Sudan split-off FFC faction announces new structure

The National Accord faction of Sudan’s opposition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) announced a new structure on Tuesday that includes “a comprehensive diversity of all the Sudanese people, and also included the committee composed of the General Secretariat, which has 26 members”.

Under the new structure, was announced in a press conference on Tuesday, former spokesperson for the Sudan People Liberation Movement-North, Mubarak Ardol, director of the Sudanese Company for Mineral Resources*, became the secretary-general of the FFC-NA split-off faction – which is dominated by members of rebel movements that signed the Juba Peace Agreement in October 2020.

Suleiman Sandal, who is also the political secretary of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), and Noureldayem Taha became deputies to the Secretary-General. Abu Obeida El Taayshi was named Political Secretary, and leading JEM member Ahmed Tugud Lisan was appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

The National Accord Forces appointed Mohamed Zakaria, Juma El Wakeel, El Senousi Kuku, and Linda Zeinelabdeen as spokespersons.

At the press conference, Sandal stressed the need to achieve a comprehensive national consensus. “We keep saying that this great revolution is a people’s revolution. We entered a transitional phase with a high spirit and great national determination to accomplish the transitional period, noting that this revolution solved some problems and has worked on national reconciliation,” he said.

* Ardol was re-appointed director of the Sudanese Company for Mineral Resources in early 2020 by the government of PM Abdallah Hamdok. He reportedly maintains friendly ties with the ousted National Congress Party of dictator Omar Al Bashir, and supported the October 2021 coup in various instances. Sudanese social media activists regularly call someone whom they consider a defector from the revolutionary course or any politician they do not trust ‘Ardoli’ or ‘Ardolian’.