Agreement to Speed Up Formation of Sudan’s Transitional Government

A protest in Khartoum to speed up the formation of Sudan’s transitional government. Sudanese Professionals Association
A protest in Khartoum to speed up the formation of Sudan’s transitional government. Sudanese Professionals Association
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Agreement to Speed Up Formation of Sudan’s Transitional Government

A protest in Khartoum to speed up the formation of Sudan’s transitional government. Sudanese Professionals Association
A protest in Khartoum to speed up the formation of Sudan’s transitional government. Sudanese Professionals Association

Sudanese protest leaders and their rebel partners have ended their differences over a power-sharing deal signed with the country's military rulers after around two weeks of consultations held in Addis Ababa.

"This agreement has discussed the fundamental roots of war... and aims to reach a comprehensive peace accord with all armed groups," said the Sudanese Professionals Association, which spearheaded the campaign against president Omar al-Bashir.

"The agreement paves the way for establishing comprehensive peace urgently once the transitional process for a civilian government begins," it said on its Facebook page on Thursday.

The SPA said the "Addis Ababa Declaration" aims to "speed up the formation of the transitional civilian government".

It said the three armed groups in the Sudan Revolutionary Front have "reconciled with the Alliance for Freedom and Change on the transitional government and connected peace-related issues with the process of transition".

On July 17, the Sudanese Professionals Association signed a power-sharing accord with Sudan's ruling generals that provides for a transitional civilian administration following Bashir’s ouster.

But three armed groups who are members of the protest movement had objected to the deal, saying it failed to address conflicts in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

A group of protest leaders then flew to Addis Ababa for talks with the rebels, and after days of intense negotiations, they reached the agreement that was announced on Thursday.

The rebel groups confirmed that their differences with the protest leaders had been resolved.



Israel Drafts Plan to Annex West Bank Settlements

An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)
An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)
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Israel Drafts Plan to Annex West Bank Settlements

An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)
An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backed calls from his ministers to impose Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank next year after US President Donald Trump takes office.

In recent private talks, Netanyahu said the issue of sovereignty in the West Bank should return to the agenda once Trump is in the White House, according to public broadcaster Kan.

This aligns Netanyahu with coalition members already pushing for such a move next year.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the National Religious Party - Zionism Party and holds a position within Israel’s Defense Ministry where he oversees the administration of the occupied West Bank and its settlements, said Monday that a Trump win would create a “key opportunity” for Israel to impose sovereignty.

“We were close to applying sovereignty to settlements in Judea and Samaria during Trump’s last term, and now it’s time to make it happen,” he said.

“2025: the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” Smotrich wrote on X, using the biblical name by which Israel refers to the occupied West Bank.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also welcomed Donald Trump’s victory, saying, “This is the time for sovereignty.”

Trump’s win has encouraged Israeli right-wing leaders to push for annexing and expanding West Bank settlements.

The plan to extend sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and West Bank settlements dates back to 2020, when Netanyahu sought Trump’s approval to move forward.

Kan reported that annexation plans are ready to be implemented.

In 2020, as part of Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin’s team, working with US officials, prepared maps, regulations, and a draft government resolution, Kan said.

The plan includes access roads and potential expansion zones for each settlement.

The West Bank is home to around 144 official settlements and over 100 unofficial outposts, covering approximately 42% of the territory, including their jurisdictions. These areas house about 600,000 Israeli settlers.