Sudan's Ruling Coalition Accuses Military of Threatening Transition

Vehicles drive along a main road near the "Local Market" in the south of Sudan's capital Khartoum on September 22, 2021. (Photo by Ebrahim HAMID / AFP)
Vehicles drive along a main road near the "Local Market" in the south of Sudan's capital Khartoum on September 22, 2021. (Photo by Ebrahim HAMID / AFP)
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Sudan's Ruling Coalition Accuses Military of Threatening Transition

Vehicles drive along a main road near the "Local Market" in the south of Sudan's capital Khartoum on September 22, 2021. (Photo by Ebrahim HAMID / AFP)
Vehicles drive along a main road near the "Local Market" in the south of Sudan's capital Khartoum on September 22, 2021. (Photo by Ebrahim HAMID / AFP)

Sudan's ruling coalition said statements made by the Chairman of the Sovereign Council, Abdul Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemeti' Daglo, are a direct threat to the democratic transition in the country.

The coalition said it would strongly confront any attempts to undermine the transition in the country in response to the violent attack launched by the military component on the civilian government.

The Forces of Freedom and Change coalition condemned Burhan and Dagalo's comments, blaming "politicians" for an attempted coup and stressing that the December 2019 revolution marked a path of transition.

It said that the two military leaders had made "baseless accusations," which were a "direct threat to democratic transition" in Sudan.

It indicated that the coup attempt was failed through the efforts of the armed forces.

The coalition called for the reform of the military and security services and implementing the security clauses of the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA).

It also demanded the involvement of the civil apparatus in the investigations of the military in the failed coup, in order to name the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

On Tuesday, the Sudanese government said it thwarted the coup attempt and arrested 21 senior officers and soldiers, who are being investigated.

The Prime Minister accused parties within the armed forces and the remnants of the ousted regime of orchestrating the plot.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council condemned in the strongest terms Tuesday's attempt to disrupt Sudan's transition by force.

In a press statement, Council members reiterated full support to Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in his endeavors to see Sudan through a successful transition in a manner that achieves the hopes and aspirations of the Sudanese people for an inclusive, peaceful, stable, democratic, and prosperous future.

Council members urged all stakeholders to engage constructively with the national initiative known as "The National Crisis and Issues of the Transition -- The Way Forward."

The head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes, rejected any calls for a military coup or the replacement of the transitional government with military rule.

"I also want to stress the need for the continued commitment of all stakeholders to an inclusive transition process and to realize the aspirations of the Sudanese people towards a peaceful, stable and democratic future."

In turn, the Sudanese Congress Party, one of the main factions in the ruling coalition, described the military leaders' speech as a "dangerous indication" and a call to monopolize power.

The party said in a statement that the success of the transitional period is a "joint integrative responsibility" between the military and civilian components, noting that the statements of the head of the Sovereign Council and his deputy are an escape from the responsibilities towards the transitional period.

The statement blamed the military for the failure to resolve the security chaos in the country and the repeated coup attempts.

It said the military failed to perform its duties in maintaining security as stated in the constitutional document, which calls for implementing the necessary reforms in the security and military agencies.

The party demanded that the investment companies of the armed forces and security services be subject to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance.

It encouraged civilian and military actors to commit and cooperate to reach a complete transition, as stipulated in the constitutional document and the JPA.



Lebanon Hopes for Neighborly Relations in First Message to New Syria Government

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeting with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeting with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
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Lebanon Hopes for Neighborly Relations in First Message to New Syria Government

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeting with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeting with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)

Lebanon said on Thursday it was looking forward to having the best neighborly relations with Syria, in its first official message to the new administration in Damascus.

Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib passed the message to his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, in a phone call, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said on X.

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah played a major part propping up Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad through years of war, before bringing its fighters back to Lebanon over the last year to fight in a bruising war with Israel - a redeployment which weakened Syrian government lines.

Under Assad, Hezbollah used Syria to bring in weapons and other military equipment from Iran, through Iraq and Syria and into Lebanon. But on Dec. 6, anti-Assad fighters seized the border with Iraq and cut off that route, and two days later, opposition factions captured the capital Damascus.

Syria's new de-facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is seeking to establish relations with Arab and Western leaders after toppling Assad.