Deputy head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereign Council Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo acknowledged on Sunday that he had made a mistake in participating in the October 25, 2021 coup.
Dagalo made his statement shortly after head of the Sovereign Council, army commander, Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said the army had carried out the coup for the sake of the country.
It was the first time that Burhan described the incident as a coup. He had previously referred to it as "military measures to correct the course of the revolution."
In an address to the Sudanese people, Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, said he supported the 2018 revolution that ousted longtime President Omar al-Bashir and his regime.
The coup, he said, became a gateway for the reinstatement of members of the regime.
Hemedti, who leads the Rapid Support Forces, warned members of the regime against trying to drive a wedge between the army and its forces.
It was this situation that prompted him to leave politics and to hand over power to civilians, he explained.
He said that he had made this pledge to Burhan and that he would not back down from it.
Moreover, Hemedti said he was committed to the framework agreement, aimed at forming a unified army, according to the agreed timetables and engage in security and military reform processes.
He said the Sudanese Armed Forces is a long-established institution, which will not be exploited by any party. The framework agreement has laid a solid foundation to restore the state.
The agreement is a package that must be implemented in full, asserted Hemedti, adding that it was the only way to reach a fair and just political solution that takes end the current chaos in the country.
The signatories to the agreement are trying to persuade other forces to join the political process, he added.
Hemedti said it was time to end the political process, reach a final and urgent solution to form a transitional civil authority, and return the military back to the barracks so that it can devote itself to protecting borders and national security.
He reiterated his determination that the final political agreement was an entry point to reviving the stalled Juba Peace Agreement, completing the peace process, implementing all its provisions related to the return of the displaced and refugees, and providing them with the necessary protection.
Furthermore, he stated that the solution to the economic crisis depends on political stability and the formation of a civil government. He also appealed to the international and regional community to support the new government in Sudan.
Hemedti praised the efforts of the tripartite mechanism, consisting of the African Union (AU), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and United Nations. He also lauded the Quartet mechanism and the "troika" group, comprised of Saudi Arabia, the US, the UAE, Britain, and Norway.
