A New Era in Sudan?

After nearly nine months of anti-government protests which led to the ousting of two leaders, the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) held a formal ceremonial signing of the constitutional declaration on Saturday, 17 August 2019, marking the start of a new era in Sudan.

The two parties first signed an agreement on 17 July to establish a joint 11-member military-civilian sovereign council that will rule the country by rotation for a period of at least three years and three months. After that, the country would hold democratic elections in 2022. 

The two parties originally signed the constitutional declaration on 3 August 2019. The formal signing ceremony was held in Friendship Hall in Khartoum on Saturday, 17 August, joining the military and the civilians in a power-sharing deal for the first time in Sudan’s history. Deputy Head of the TMC, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), signed the agreement on behalf of the military junta, and Ahmed Al Rabie, signed on behalf of the FFC, the main opposition coalition.

The ceremony was attended by heads of states, prime ministers and dignitaries from several countries, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and Chadian President Idriss Deby.

The deal comes after nearly nine months of peaceful protests, which were met with violence and killings, which resulted in death of at least 250 people. Anti-government protests in Sudan began in December 2018 with thousands of protesters marching on the streets across Sudan, due to rising costs of living and deterioration of economic conditions. The protests quickly turned to calling for the downfall of former Sudan president Omar Al Bashir and his regime. Al Bashir was then ousted in a military coup d’état on 11 April 2019, which brought the TMC to power. 

Following the signing, many took to the streets to celebrate the moment, which many hope to be a turning point in the future of Sudan. The streets were filled with people cheering, singing, dancing and waving the Sudanese flag. People from Atbara, the city in the Nile State, which is attributed to have ignited the revolution on 19 December 2018, made a second trip to Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan, by train to celebrate this much-awaited moment. Hundreds waited to welcome the overcrowded train carrying the people of Atbara.

Welcoming the women of Atbara
الثورة دي ثورة بنات pic.twitter.com/2Orf5FHuJq

— Khaldah (@Khaldah_) August 17, 2019

One of the most iconic incidents of the signing is the journey of the father of martyr Osman Gasam Alseed. On 16 August 2019, a day before the signing, he embarked on a walk from Arbaji in Al-Jazira State to Khartoum to join the celebrations saying that he felt he owed it to his late son.

توجه والد الشهيد عثمان قسم السيد الشيخ صباح اليوم الجمعة 16 اغسطس 2019م مشياً بالأرجل من مدينة منطقة اربجي بولاية الجزيرة نحو العاصمة #الخرطوم لحضور التوقيع النهائي بين قوى #اعلان_الحريه_والتغيير والمجلس العسكري والمقرر قيامة يوم غدا السبت في قاعة الصداقة، + pic.twitter.com/kXqDfJld4e

— حزب المؤتمر السوداني (@SCPSudan) August 16, 2019

The reactions

Despite the celebratory aura and overwhelming joy the exhausted civilians displayed on the streets of Sudan, some were not able to join the people of their country in their celebration.

انا طالعة الليله عشان استقبل قطر عطبرة. وعشان أكون جزء من الشارع. انا ما مارقة احتفل، مارقة أأكد انو الشارع حيكون دايما موجود للتصحيح، وانو مهما حصل ومين ما جا احنا عرفنا قوتنا ومسكنا دربنا واحنا قدامنا الصباح. #تحديات_الفترة_الانتقالية

— Qutoufy (@Qutoufy) August 17, 2019

When asked why he didn’t join the streets to celebrate, Mohammed Alsaddig, who has recently moved back to Sudan, said, ‘I just don’t feel like celebrating. I want to but I can’t. It’s not because of any conspiracy theory in my head or paranoia. But seeing the people still standing for a long time for a loaf of bread, all the rain water in the streets, death from floods, and hunger and illness, celebrating in fancy halls in Khartoum seems like the definition of denial – which is a good thing because realising the depth of everything is so harsh, no one can bare it – but too much denial is a catastrophe.’

‘I am privileged because I come from a middle-class or maybe even a wealthy family, and still, I find it hard doing anything here. I can’t find decent food even with enough money. I can’t find money itself, neither transportation. Imagine how it is for others!’ he added. 

A common answer among those who shared their opinions was their skepticism towards TMC’s loyalty and their inability to trust them.

‘Today’s ceremony was bittersweet. On one hand, it was a culmination of the fighting and suffering that went into the struggle, which brings us happiness because of the new change. On the other hand, I’m skeptical because Sudan has a history of breaching and violating treaties and agreements towards its civilians,’ said freelance writer Muhammed Modibo Shareef.

‘I’m very distrustful towards the agreement between TMC and FFC. The very face that TMC were requesting immunity towards the violence that committed makes me very cynical. I feel like shared power with them will involve a lot of compromises on the side of civilians because TMC has the government/elites’ interest in mind. But then again only time will tell,’ he added.

But to some like political activist Mutwakil Elbadey, his concern is justice for the martyrs and whether the clauses in the agreement will be fulfilled. ‘We know the military will stall, like they did during the negotiations and try to put obstacles in our way every time reforms are made but one thing I am happy about is the fact that this time we have qualified civilians in the office,’ he said.

Some had concerns about the agreement and constitutional declaration itself. 

According to filmmaker Ahmad, there are many issues with the declaration such as ‘the clause about leaving the mission of restructuring the military and security apparatus to the military and intelligence apparatus, identifying the janjaweed/RSF as a second state army, and the lack of any clause detailing how wealth and resources will be re-distributed, which leads to assuming the current distribution system will remain the same’.

‘I’m happy about the hints to an independent judiciary and parliament. Again, not hopeful any will be implemented. What will happen next is introducing more austerity measure. They are not capable of fixing the economy any other way, and all the Saudi aid they get will not fix it,’ he added. 

‘It’s a big step for us as Sudanese and for the next coming generations too. We are not satisfied yes but it is like a middle ground between us and the military council,’ said teacher Hadi Fadil.

‘We, the Sudanese people, definitely deserve more. Again, I’m going to sound cynical but I feel like the leaders are giving us half the pie to pacify the resistance,’ said Shareef.

While many expressed their discontent with the agreement, people didn’t lose faith in the FFC.

‘What could have happened if not for this isn’t known and maybe they’ve done us all a huge favor. I’ll put no toll on them because I wasn’t in that room holding the hopes and fears of millions on my back and arguing with a dictatorship demanding democracy, but I’ll not lie and say it’s what we hoped for when we marched the streets and lost lives trying to accomplish,’ said Dr. Sami Sinada.

Despite the mixed feelings, all hope is not lost.

‘What I hope is that unions are allowed to organise freely so when we hit the streets again – and we will – we hit it once and for good,’ said Ahmad.

‘I somehow still feel bright about the future of Sudan. The protests brought unity in the country and abroad among Sudanese people; a certain level of consciousness has been sparked, thanks to the women and youth,’ said Shareef.

‘The points that I am happy about is the disassociation or non-participation of NCP members or allied Bashir parties in future elections, the inclusion of the legislative council for women and youth, the inability of the TMC to veto the PM’s decisions, the fact that we are finally going to have a PM,’ said research manager Hiba Alrasheed.

Many were concerned by the lack of female representation among the signatories and VIP guests. 

https://twitter.com/dalianawai/status/1162738297434779648

‘We need to fight in order to uplift our women and ensure them equal rights because I feel like every conflict of Sudan has always fell on the shoulders of women. We need to reshape our thoughts towards gender. This will be difficult knowing that men who endorsed rape will still be co-piloting the country,’ said Shareef.

‘I think the key to a bright future in Sudan will be state governments, women’s rights, investing money in education, and national unity. These are the things Sudanese people should keep fighting for,’ he added.

What’s next?

On Thursday, 15 August 2019, the FFC nominated economist Abdullah Hamdok as prime minister in the country’s transitional government. The prime ministerial position will be for the transitional period of three years and three months. Hamdok is expected to be officially appointed prime minister on Tuesday, 20 August 2019 and sworn in the following day. Hamdok is expected to appoint his cabinet in the following week. 

From Sunday, 18 August, the TMC is set to be dissolved and replaced by a new Sovereign Council, which is expected to meet for the first time on Monday, 19 August.

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Afnan Hassab describes herself as your typical dreamy millennial. A 22-year-old surgeon-in-the-making by morning and a struggling writer and blogger, by night. Dedicated humanitarian, unwavering feminist, relentless debater, obsessive cleaner and a coffee addict among other things. Born and raised in Jeddah, KSA. Went to college in Sudan. Based somewhere between these two countries and more.