Sudan’s restructured Sovereignty Council meets in Khartoum

The restructured Sovereignty Council (SC), which was formed at the end of last week, held its first meeting in the Sudan capital of Khartoum on Sunday, under the chairmanship of Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and leader of the military junta that seized power in a coup d’état on October 25. All members were in attendance, including representatives of the Sudan Revolutionary Front rebel alliance, El Hadi Idris, Malik Agar, and El Taher Hajar.

The three rebel leaders did not take the oath of office within the new formation of the Sovereignty Council. Sources indicated that they declined to take the oath on the grounds that the decision of dissolution does not include them, and they are continuing their participation in the Council.

During the coup, El Burhan dissolved the Sovereignty Council and the civilian-led transitional government of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, that was established following the April 2019 overthrow of the Omar Al Bashir regime.

At Sunday’s meeting, El Burhan welcomed the new members and spoke about a new future vision “to achieve the goals of the glorious December revolution, foremost of which is the implementation of the revolution’s slogans of freedom, peace and justice”.

The members pledged, according to the Sovereign Council’s media site, to present an ideal model in managing the country’s affairs in a manner that satisfies the Sudanese people, and to form a civilian government in the next few days.

Malik Agar: “Coup a political catastrophe”

Malik Agar, head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction in Blue Nile state, said in a press statement to Sky News Arabia on Saturday that what happened on October 25 is “a coup for 100 percent” and “we cannot call it a correction (as El Burhan says)”, and that “power has completely devolved to the military group”.

He said that the coup faces several challenges, including peaceful reactions in the street. He described the situation in Sudan as “politically catastrophic” and that Sudan “is liable to collapse”.