Khartoum, Sudan
November 13, 2021—Political parties in Sudan have rejected Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s Thursday announcement of a new Sovereign Council that installs him again on helm of power at the expense of civilian leaders.
In a decree read on Thursday evening, Lt. Gen. Al-Burhan announced the new Sovereign Council in which he appointed himself as the head of the council, deputized by the paramilitary leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemetti” and other top military officers who served with him in the initial Sovereign Council.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Kamal Omer, the acting Secretary General of Pro-Islamic Poplar Congress Party describes Al-Burhan decision as a “mockery” to Sudanese people, adding that they will never cooperate with any government imposed against the will of the people.
“Our stance as an Islamic party, we don’t recognize this council, we are against any government that comes through a coup, we’re against the coup and against this council that serves only the interest of military”, Omer told reporters on Thursday.
SG Omer believes that Al-Burhan’s announcement will provoke Sudanese population and will just make civilians continue protesting against the imposed military rule.
He added that the people of Sudan cannot withstand another military government after ousting the longest-served dictator, Omer Al-Bashir, through a popular uprising in April 2019.
He stressed that Al-Burhan’s decision to install military on power is derailing the Sudanese’s efforts towards democratic transition.
On the other hand, Gen. Malik Agar, the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, whose Deputy, Yasir Arman remains behind bar so far, opposed Al-Burhan’s self-appointment and demands for a restoration of constitutional order in Sudan.
Early this month, Al-Burhan announced to constitute a new Sovereign Council that excludes civilian leaders and instead offered to appoint “technocrats” to serve the post-Transitional Government.
On 25th of October 2021, Al-Burhan arrested pro-democracy leaders including the Prime Minister Dr. Abdalla Hamdok, dissolved the military-civilian shared transition government, suspended some constitutional provisions and declared a state of emergency which he defended by saying that his decision was to rescue Sudan from going through further crises.
On 11th of October 2021, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan sworn-in the new Sovereign Council after three weeks of constitutional vacuum in the country where he brought himself once again as the head of the state.
