The Sudanese Sovereignty Council expressed its concern over the activity of “some” foreign diplomatic missions in Khartoum, and considered them “a violation of diplomatic norms and a violation of the country’s sovereignty,” at a time when the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) is preparing for a fourth week of “preliminary consultations” for the political process in the country. .
The Transitional Sovereignty Council, headed by Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, held its meeting yesterday, Thursday, at the Republican Palace, where the meeting touched on the current situation in the country.
Salma Abdul-Jabbar Al-Mubarak, a member of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and the official spokesperson for the council, said – in a press statement yesterday evening – that “the meeting also heard a statement from the Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge, Ali Al-Sadiq, about foreign relations and the activities of some diplomatic missions residing in Khartoum, in violation of diplomatic norms and violating the country’s sovereignty.” .
Without mentioning specific names, the Sudanese Sovereignty Council – which is led by the military – expressed its concern about the activity contrary to these diplomatic missions residing in Khartoum, and did not mention in the statement issued by it more details about these activities.
Since the worsening of the political crisis in Sudan following the exceptional decisions taken by the army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on October 25, most notably the imposition of a state of emergency and the dissolution of the Sovereignty Councils and the Transitional Ministers; Sudan’s military leaders have come under fire from Western countries, which have called for the restoration of the civilian-led government and an end to the crackdown on protests.
On more than one occasion, Al-Burhan denied that the army had staged a military coup, and said that these measures were aimed at “correcting the course of the transitional phase,” and pledged to hand over power to a transitional government.
Unitams and protests
On Wednesday, hundreds of Sudanese participated in vigils in front of foreign embassies and the headquarters of the United Nations mission “UNITAMS” in Khartoum, rejecting what they described as “foreign interference” in the country’s affairs. The protesters expressed their rejection of the presence of the UN mission in Sudan, and demanded its departure.
For its part, the “UNITAMS” mission stated – on its website – that it defends freedom of assembly and expression, and offered the protesters to receive a delegation representing them, but they refused. The mission’s media office stated that it is in Sudan at the request and with a clear mandate from the Security Council in Resolution No. 2524.
In a statement yesterday, the United Nations mission announced its readiness for a new round of preliminary consultations for the political process with the Sudanese parties next week.
The statement stated that the head of the mission, Volker Peretz, is preparing, along with the “UNITAMS” team, for a new round of consultations, with the participation of more representatives of the Sudanese political spectrum next week.
The statement stressed, “The continuation of these consultations to provide a space for Sudanese stakeholders to present their visions and proposals on ways to move forward in the democratic transition process,” warning that “no results are expected, as these initial consultations will guide our next steps.”
Over the past week, Peretz, with the support of the UNITAMS team, led a number of consultation sessions with representatives of groups from states outside Khartoum, including representatives of the resistance committees in Darfur, women’s groups in Darfur, representatives of internally displaced people in the region, and representatives of the resistance committees. , and women’s groups in South Kordofan, in addition to the head of the Justice and Equality Movement, Jibril Ibrahim.
Peretz and the international team also held consultation sessions with representatives of women’s political and civic groups (Mensim), the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, a group of representatives of various civil society organizations, a group of young civil society activists, and representatives of the Federal Assembly and the Sudanese Teachers’ Committee.
The “UNITAMS” initiative is in implementation of the mission’s mandate framework assigned to it in Security Council Resolution No. 2579 of 2021, by facilitating a Sudanese-led process in order to move forward in addressing the current political impasse.
Since January 8, the UN mission has been conducting “preliminary consultations” for a comprehensive political process between the Sudanese parties, with the aim of reaching a solution to the crisis that has worsened following the exceptional decisions taken by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan last October.
Supporting Wall
On the other hand, Lieutenant-General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), Vice-President of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, called on all parties in eastern Sudan to give priority to the general interest of the people of the East, and to uphold the values of tolerance and harmony.
Committees of the Supreme Council for Civil Administrations in eastern Sudan, the Supreme Council for Beja Opticals and Independent Al-Amoudiya, and the Mediation and Facilitator Committee took the oath yesterday before Dagalo, the head of the Supreme Committee, to find successful solutions to the situation in eastern Sudan, marking the commencement of its tasks and competencies.
Addressing the committees after the swearing-in ceremony, Hemedti stressed “the need to unify the word through direct dialogue between all components to reach a unified vision that guarantees a safe exit from the crisis in eastern Sudan.”
Hemedti pledged to “facilitate the tasks of the committees and overcome the obstacles and challenges they face,” noting that the next few days will witness serious and practical steps that are in the interest of the people of the East.
He affirmed, “Standing a neutral stance towards all parties and supporting the right, pointing to the ties and relations that bring together the people of eastern Sudan, and the need to preserve them away from any influences.”
He said that any disagreement can only be resolved through dialogue between the parties, warning against “sedition instigators” to ignite differences, pointing out that the problem of the East in particular, and Sudan in general, “will only be resolved through dialogue.”
