The power-sharing agreement signed between the Transitional Military Council and the opposition-led by Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) alliance, last week after eight months of bloody clashes between the people of Sudan and the interim rulers has evoked a very cautious optimism from political analysts. The agreement is expected to pave the way for a peaceful transition to a civilian government which is likely tobe in place in 3 years time. A new administration will replace the military junta and govern Sudan. A sovereign council will be the highest authority in the country but executive powers will be with the cabinet of ministers. The African Union, played a key role in brokering the deal in Sudan.
The government will be headed by Abdalla Hamdok, an economist, with a governing council, with members from military and civilian leaders.Though the arrangement shares the power between Sudan’s military, which has dominated Sudan since it gained independence from Britain in 1956, and the civilian coalition which came alive since December 2018, the military still seems to have retained the control. Some of the ousted President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s closest deputies are still members of the military, which signed the new power-sharing arrangement, which has dampened the hopes for a smooth transition.Lt Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, a military officer, will lead the council for the first 21 months. The military will also control the defense and interior ministries, which account for a large part of national spending.
Meanwhile, a corruption trial of, Omar Hassan al-Bashir who ruled Sudan for 30 years started this week. According to the statement of a police detective, the former president admitted receiving $25 million from Saudi Arabia. Bashir’s trial will be a test of how serious authorities are about bringing in a change to the political system of the country which has suffered autocratic rule, marked by widespread violence, economic collapse and the secession of South Sudan.
