The agreement reached in Sudan between Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on November 21 was welcomed by the UN on Friday.
Volker Perthes, the UN’s special representative for Sudan, told the Security Council that the agreement is “far from perfect” but could help to avoid further bloodshed and provide the first step toward comprehensive dialogue and a return to constitutional order.
However, Perthes pointed out that a strong opposition to the deal is present from a large segment of Sudanese stakeholders, including parties and associations within the Forces of Freedom and Change coalition, resistance committees, civil society organizations and women’s groups.
On the other hand, Perthes expressed to the members of the Security Council that the coup “exposed and deepened the mistrust between the military and civilian components, and within the civilian components” themselves.
At the same time, all unilateral decisions taken in the wake of the coup, including the appointment of civilian members to the Sovereignty Council, were urged to be reversed.
Perthes also stated that “forthcoming decisions on government formation, high-level appointments and the establishment of transitional institutions will test the will and ability of the stakeholders to seek a common way out of the crisis.”
Protests sparked across the country when a military coup was orchestrated on October 25, during which Hamdok and other senior officials and activists were arrested, in what Perthes described as “the greatest crisis to date” faced by the political transition in the country.
At least 44 people were killed and hundreds when lethal force was used to crack down on peaceful protesters, according to the UN.
