Sudanese Opposition Drafts Document on Civilian Rule

Sudanese protesters at a demonstration in Khartoum. (AFP file photo)
Sudanese protesters at a demonstration in Khartoum. (AFP file photo)
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Sudanese Opposition Drafts Document on Civilian Rule

Sudanese protesters at a demonstration in Khartoum. (AFP file photo)
Sudanese protesters at a demonstration in Khartoum. (AFP file photo)

The Sudanese opposition Freedom and Change coalition announced a new political document titled "Demands and Procedures to End the Coup," based on the civil-military dialogue held last week under US-Saudi mediation.

The document, a copy of which was obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, identified three stages to end the coup and establish civil rule.

The first step calls for ending the coup, followed by the phase of "constitutional foundation" with the participation of the forces that resisted the coup and the military component.

The final stage calls for establishing the democratic path, which represents the Sudanese people who believe in democracy, supported by the tripartite mechanism takes the tangible steps.

The document said that the political solution must include the establishment of a unified national army that distances itself from politics.

It called for reviewing the economic activity of the military and security establishment and going through a transitional process that exposes crimes, holds violators accountable, brings justice to the victims, and prioritizes the national economy.

The document stipulated dismantling the June 30, 1989 regime, recovering looted funds, implementing the Juba Peace Agreement, and reviewing it with its parties.

It called for establishing an anti-corruption commission, building a balanced foreign policy that preserves the country's interests, formulating a permanent constitution, and preparing for free, fair, and transparent elections within 18-24 months.

The document defined the institutions of transition as a limited civilian Sovereign Council, a cabinet of independent national figures and prime minister chosen by the forces of the revolution.

It described the establishment of a limited parliament with 40 percent of seats allocated to women.

The document stressed the formation of a Security and Defense Council chaired by the prime minister and including leaders of the regular forces, armed movements, and relevant ministries to implement security reform policies.

It underlined the importance of reforming the judiciary, the Public Prosecution Office, and the Constitutional Court in line with a democratic system and adopting a "decentralized" federal approach.

It set out a roadmap that includes implementing measures to create a democratic environment, signing a copy of a declaration of principles binding to all parties, dissolving the institutions that emerged after the October 25 military coup, and forming new institutions in line with the final agreement before kicking off any direct negotiations between the army and civilians.

The US-Saudi mediation, led by US Assistant Secretary of State Catherine Phee and the Saudi ambassador in Khartoum, Ali bin Hassan Jaafar, had gathered the military and the Forces of Freedom and Change for talks last week.

The meetings called for the lifting of emergency measures, protecting the civilians and the cessation of violence against them. They called for the release of detainees, returning funds recovered by the transitional government, and initiating immediate accountability measures against human rights violators.



Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Meets HTS Leader in Damascus

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Ministry headquarters in the Turkish capital Ankara Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Ministry headquarters in the Turkish capital Ankara Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP)
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Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Meets HTS Leader in Damascus

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Ministry headquarters in the Turkish capital Ankara Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Ministry headquarters in the Turkish capital Ankara Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP)

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Sunday, Türkiye’s foreign ministry said, without providing further details.

Photographs and footage shared by the ministry showed Fidan and Sharaa, leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, which led the operation to topple Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, walking ahead of a crowded delegation before posing for photographs.

The two are also seen shaking hands, hugging, and smiling.

On Friday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that Türkiye would help Syria's new administration form a state structure and draft a new constitution, adding Fidan would head to Damascus to discuss this new structure, without providing a date.

Ibrahim Kalin, the head of Türkiye’s MIT intelligence agency, also visited Damascus on Dec. 12, four days after Assad's fall.

Ankara had for years backed opposition fighters looking to oust Assad and welcomed the end of his family's brutal five-decade rule after a 13-year civil war. Türkiye also hosts millions of Syrian migrants it hopes will start returning home after Assad's fall, and has vowed to help rebuild Syria.

Fidan's visit comes amid fighting in northeast Syria between Türkiye-backed Syrian fighters and the Kurdish YPG militia, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeast and Ankara regards as a terrorist organization.

Earlier, Türkiye’s defense minister said Ankara believed that Syria's new leadership, including the Syrian National Army (SNA) armed group which Ankara backs, will drive YPG fighters from all territory they occupy in the northeast.

Ankara, alongside Syrian allies, has mounted several cross-border offensives against the Kurdish faction in northern Syria and controls swathes of Syrian territory along the border, while repeatedly demanding that its NATO ally Washington halts support for the Kurdish fighters.

The SDF has been on the back foot since Assad's fall, with the threat of advances from Ankara and Türkiye-backed groups as it looks to preserve political gains made in the last 13 years, and with Syria's new rulers being friendly to Ankara.