Sudan Professionals Association criticise El Burhan council proposal

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) has strongly criticised the decision of Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, Chair of the Sovereign Council, to establish a Transitional Partners Council (TPC).

In press statement on Friday, the SPA, the driving force behind the uprising that led to the ousting of the regime of President Omar Al Bashir in April last year, called the move “contrary to the spirit of the December revolution and the goals of the transitional period.”

The SPA “refuses the so-called TPC in both form and content.”

“We see it as a renewed circumvention of mechanisms which have been put in place to monitor and direct the transitional period, which must be represented first and foremost by the Legislative Council. It should be formed according to criteria that reflect the weight and diversity of revolutionary forces.”

“We look with suspicion and concern at the quick formation of this council, especially compared with the inaction and procrastination that took place when forming a Legislative Council.”

On November 19, the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) announced that the formation of the Legislative council would take place later than planned, on December 31. The statement emphasised FFC’s efforts to reach national consensus.

In addition, there seems to be complete disregard for the formation of the commissions stipulated in the August 2019 Constitutional Document. The TPC was not stipulated in any agreement, including the Juba Peace Agreement, the SPA stated. The decision “opens the door to the overlapping of the powers of this council and other institutions of the transitional authority,” which could lead to conflict of power.

“What happened is nothing more than a consecration of the reality that we have been rejecting since the formation of the government [in September last year], a reality that has been imposed by a few dominating the FFC alliance and tampering with the goals of the revolution, to serve narrow personal and partisan interests by identifying with the military [..].”

According to the Professionals Association, “there is no way to curb these practices without closing ranks and coordinating efforts to bring the goals of the revolution back into serious discussion”. Therefore, they have called for “joint action” to peacefully protest these developments, and correct the course of the revolution.

“We are certain that our people are able to complete what they began and achieve their aspirations for freedom, justice, and decent living,” the statement concluded.

Legislative Council formation

The SPA has previously been critical about the FFC’s proposals concerning the distribution of seats in the Legislative Council. In a statement on November 5, the group demanded fair representation of “all the forces of the revolution,” including members of the Resistance Committees active in many towns and villages of the country, the Families of the December Revolution Victims, and the minority groups in Sudan.

A day earlier, leaders of the Resistance Committees withdrew from a meeting with the FFC about the distribution of seats in parliament, citing disagreements with the agenda.

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