Sudanese Parties Expected to Sign New Deal on Civilian Rule

 Protesters march during a rally against military rule following the last coup, in Khartoum, Sudan November 23, 2022. (Reuters)
Protesters march during a rally against military rule following the last coup, in Khartoum, Sudan November 23, 2022. (Reuters)
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Sudanese Parties Expected to Sign New Deal on Civilian Rule

 Protesters march during a rally against military rule following the last coup, in Khartoum, Sudan November 23, 2022. (Reuters)
Protesters march during a rally against military rule following the last coup, in Khartoum, Sudan November 23, 2022. (Reuters)

The Sudanese military and the opposition Forces of Freedom and Change are expected on Monday to sign a new political framework agreement that would pave the way for the establishment of civilian rule in the country.

International and regional figures have been invited to attend the signing ceremony that will be held at the presidential palace in Khartoum.

Sudanese head of the Sovereign Council Abdul Fattah al-Burhan is expected to be present, along with his deputy Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo and other military figures. Leaders of the Forces of Freedom and Change and other figures are set to attend.

The “tripartite mechanism” that includes the United Nations, African Union, and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), as well as the “quartet” that includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the US and UK, will be present at the ceremony.

Leading member of the Forces of Freedom and Change Al-Wathiq Al-Barir told Asharq Al-Awsat that other political forces and groups that support the democratic transition will be able to join and sign the “political declaration” at a later time.

He said the Justice and Equality Movement, led by Gibril Ibrahim, and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, led by Minni Minnawi, still refuse to join the declaration.

They can join at any time, added Al-Barir.

The Forces of Freedom and Change said on Sunday the articles of the political declaration are clear in achieving the goals of the December 2019 revolution and the transition towards civilian democratic rule.

It vowed to exert all efforts to unite civilian forces that are keen on ending military rule. It pledged to establish a new constitution and reach a final agreement that would pave the way for implementing the objectives of the revolution and transition in achieving justice and dismantling the regime of ousted President Omar al-Bashir.

It vowed to carry out security and military reforms and outline their duties in the civilian democratic state.

Meanwhile, authorities released prominent politician Wagdi Salih, who was the forefront of an anti-corruption committee tasked with dismantling Bashir's regime.



Israeli Troops, Palestinian Fighters Clash in West Bank after Incidents Near Settlements

Israeli troops move inside the Jenin refugee camp on the fourth day of an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, 31 August 2024. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
Israeli troops move inside the Jenin refugee camp on the fourth day of an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, 31 August 2024. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
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Israeli Troops, Palestinian Fighters Clash in West Bank after Incidents Near Settlements

Israeli troops move inside the Jenin refugee camp on the fourth day of an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, 31 August 2024. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
Israeli troops move inside the Jenin refugee camp on the fourth day of an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, 31 August 2024. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH

Clashes broke out between Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters in the occupied West Bank on Saturday as Israel pushed ahead with a military operation in the flashpoint city of Jenin.
Israeli troops searched areas around Jewish settlements after two separate security incidents on Friday evening. In Jenin itself, drones and helicopters circled overhead while the sound of sporadic firing could be heard in the city, said Reuters.
Hundreds of Israeli troops have been carrying out raids since Wednesday in one of their largest actions in the West Bank in months.
The operation, which Israel says was mounted to block Iranian-backed militant groups from attacking its citizens, has drawn international calls for a halt.
At least 19 Palestinians, including armed fighters and civilians, have now been killed since it began. The Israeli military said on Saturday a soldier had been killed during the fighting in the West Bank.
The Israeli forces were battling Palestinian fighters from armed factions that have long had a strong presence in Jenin and the adjoining refugee camp, a densely populated township housing families driven from their homes in the 1948 Middle East war around the creation of Israel.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Saturday a child had been taken to hospital in Jenin with a bullet wound to the head.
The escalation in hostilities in the West Bank takes place as fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas group still rages in the coastal Gaza Strip nearly 11 months since it began, and hostilities with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in the Israel-Lebanon border area have intensified.
Late on Friday, Israeli forces said two men were killed in separate incidents near Gush Etzion, a large West Bank settlement cluster located south of Jerusalem, that the military assessed were both attempted attacks on Israelis.
In the first, a car exploded at a petrol station in what the army said was an attempted car bombing attack. The military said a man was shot dead after he got out of the car and tried to attack soldiers.
In the second incident, a man was killed after the military said a car attempted to ram a security guard and infiltrate the Karmei Tzur settlement. The car was chased by security forces and crashed and an explosive device in it was detonated, the military said in a statement.
The two deaths were confirmed by Palestinian health authorities but they gave no details on how they died.
Troops combed the area following the two incidents. Security forces also carried out raids in the city of Hebron, where the two men came from.
Hamas praised what it called a "double heroic operation" in the West Bank. It said in a statement it was "a clear message that resistance will remain striking, prolonged and sustained as long as the brutal occupation's aggression and targeting of our people and land continue".
The group, however, did not claim direct responsibility for the attacks.
Israeli army chief General Herzi Halevi said on Saturday Israel would step up defensive measures as well as offensive actions like the Jenin operation.
Amid the gunfire, armored bulldozers searching for roadside bombs have ploughed up large stretches of paved roads and water pipes have been damaged, leading to flooding in some areas.
Since the Hamas attack on Israel last October that triggered the Gaza war, at least 660 Palestinian combatants and civilians have been killed in the West Bank, according to Palestinian tallies, some by Israeli troops and some by Jewish settlers who have carried out frequent attacks on Palestinian communities.
Israel says Iran provides weapons and support to militant factions in the West Bank - under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Middle East war - and the military has as a result cranked up its operations there.