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.



SDF Arms Dispute Derails Planned Syria Talks in Paris

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prepares to defend its areas (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prepares to defend its areas (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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SDF Arms Dispute Derails Planned Syria Talks in Paris

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prepares to defend its areas (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prepares to defend its areas (Asharq Al-Awsat)

A planned meeting in Paris between Syria’s government and the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria has been postponed without explanation, the Kurdish delegation said on Thursday, as tensions persist over the future of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The talks, originally scheduled for Friday with participation from the US envoy to Syria, French Foreign Minister, and representatives from Britain and Germany, were seen as part of a Western-backed effort to revive negotiations between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

But Syrian state television quoted an unnamed government source saying Damascus “has not and will not accept any discourse based on threats or preconditions that contradict the principle of state unity.”

The source warned against “attempts to preserve armed formations or seek separation from state institutions,” saying such moves would only deepen division and tension.

“There is no room for any call for an ‘independent identity,’” the official added, calling it “a rejected separatist invitation” and reiterating that the only path to a sustainable political solution lies in returning to the “fold of the state” and holding serious national dialogue under Syrian sovereignty and without foreign agendas.

The source also dismissed “preconditions” for any intra-Syrian dialogue and said any insistence on maintaining armed groups outside state control was incompatible with building a unified national army.

Karim Qamar, the AANES representative in France, confirmed the postponement in comments to the Kurdish Hawar News Agency, saying the delegation had not yet arrived in Paris and there was no confirmed agenda for meetings with French or European officials.

The US and France, along with other Western capitals, had been working to bring the two sides together after a July 19 meeting in Amman involving US envoy Ethan Goldrich, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi reportedly yielded “significant progress,” according to Kurdish sources cited by Asharq Al-Awsat.

The proposed Paris meeting was expected to focus on integrating SDF forces into the Syrian army and incorporating the AANES’s local governance structures into national institutions — a core sticking point in long-standing negotiations.

Speaking on Wednesday to Al-Youm TV, which is affiliated with the AANES, SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami said the group considered its weapons “a red line” and viewed them as “Syrian arms that cannot be handed over.”

Shami said the key dispute with Damascus revolved around whether SDF fighters would join the army as individuals or as a unified bloc. “We are ready to integrate as a single unit, not as individuals. Our negotiations are not a surrender but a dialogue between equals,” he said.

But the Syrian government source pushed back in an interview with state-run Ikhbariya TV, stating: “No military entity outside the official Syrian army can be considered part of the state’s structure,” and reiterated that any effort to maintain armed factions independent of state control would hinder a comprehensive national solution.

Kurdish sources familiar with the negotiations told Asharq Al-Awsat that Abdi’s delegation had agreed with Damascus on “broad outlines,” including retaining the SDF as a distinct formation within a single army corps, with subordinate units based in Raqqa, Deir al-Zor, and Hasakah — areas under the group’s current control.

The talks in Paris, now on hold, were to be a test of whether months of quiet backchannel diplomacy could overcome entrenched mistrust — particularly over the SDF’s military status and the future of Kurdish self-rule in a post-war Syria.