Sudanese military leader Abdel Fattah al Burhan on Sunday appealed to the troops to cease support for authoritarian leaders as talks begin on military reforms paving the way towards the transition to civilian rule, reported The TRT World.
“During our history, the armed forces have supported dictatorial governments, and we want to put an end to that,” Burhan said in a speech addressed to the military on Sunday.
Burhan came to power in 2021 after a coup that dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and derailed a short-lived democratic transition following the ousting of long-time leader, Omar al Bashir, in 2019. Sudan has been without a functioning government since then.
Last year in December, Sudan’s military and political forces signed a framework agreement meant to resolve the country’s months-long crisis. Reform of the military and the security forces is a key point of discussion, envisaging the military’s exit from politics once a civilian government is installed.
In related news, the latest round of talks between Sudan’s military and civilian political leaders have begun on Sunday. The various factions are expected to have discussions on a proposal to bring the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, under the Sudanese army’s control as they try to finalize an agreement for a new transition leading to elections.
Dagalo, also popularly known as Hemedti, is the deputy leader of the ruling council that took full power after the 2021 coup.
At the launch of the talks on Sunday, Dagalo said the process of security and military reform is not easy but it is important and the main goal is a single army.
He added that the RSF would not abandon the choice of democratic transformation.
The military and civilian political leaders are likely to adopt the deal on April 6 and launch a new civilian-led government in Sudan on April 11.
