FFC-National Accord Calls for Dissolution of Sudan’s Transitional Cabinet

FFC National Accord supporters demonstrate in Khartoum calling for dissolution of Hamdok cabinet on 16 Oct 2021 (ST photo)

October 16, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - A splinter faction of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), called the "National Accord Group", organized a demonstration in Khartoum on Saturday to demand the dissolution of the government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

The rally coincided with the group’s signing of the founding "Charter of National Accord", which is composed mostly of Darfur armed groups, signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement, and some other small political groups from northern and central Sudan.

After rumours of plans for a sit-in outside the Council of Minister’s headquarters, the demonstrators finally headed to the presidential palace, where they announced they would stage a sit-in until the dissolution of the Hamdok government.

The protesters chanted slogans such as "Oh Burhan, we want a statement" alluding to a decree announcing the dissolution of the government, also the slogan was "One People, One Army".

In videos posted by activists, young demonstrators spoke about receiving money for their participation in the protests. Also, the activists accused the heads of the koranic schools of receiving money for sending students to participate in the demonstrations.

The Human Rights Commission in Khartoum issued a statement warning against the use of children in the demonstrations and stressed that such practice violates Sudanese laws and international treaties.

Observers consider the demonstration as an attempt to polarize the street and escalate the strife between the forces allied with the military and the forces supporting the civil state.

Osman Mirghani, editor-in-chief of Al-Tayyar newspaper, said that Saturday’s demonstration reminds the practices of the former regime, which draw people to participate in the protests with money and other things, to give the impression that it has great popular support.

Al-Burhan recently called for dissolving the current government and forming a broad-based cabinet.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya TV, Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim who is also the Leader of the Justice and Equality Movement called for the government to be dissolved.

Ibrahim said that there is no contradiction between their participation in the government and his call to dissolve it at the same time.

He described the ruling coalition as narrow, and require to involve more groups to form a broad base that supports it.

The ruling coalition includes the Sudanese civil society groups and political parties except, the groups that had been allied to the former regime. Also, are members of the ruling coalition the other signatory groups of the Juba Peace Agreement.

The Sudanese Communist Party withdrew from the FFC to protest the implementation of the IMF-World-Bank-supported economic reforms.

The armed groups participate in the transitional government according to the power-sharing deal provided in the Juba Peace Agreement.

The ruling FFC Coalition plan to organize a rally on October 21 to demand the implementation of reforms agreed in Constitutional Document, especially the unification of army, militia and armed groups.

(ST)