Following the swearing-in of a new transitional government on 21 August in Sudan, on 26 August Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix briefed the United Nations (UN) Security Council on the optimistic prospects of the agreement for the political situation of the country. The power-sharing deal was closed on 17 August between the representatives of the Forces for Freedom and Change and Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC), after the end of a 30-year authoritarian rule of former president Omar al-Bashir. Mr. Lacroix said that this is a decisive step towards lasting peace for war-torn Sudan and it could represent the end of violence in Darfur, where the security situation remains unstable.
The new government is composed of a Sovereign Council, comprising six civilians, including two women, and five members of the former TMC. It is led by President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, whilst Abdallah Hamdok, a well-known economist and UN veteran, was appointed Prime Minister. The Council is meant to stay in power for three years, after which elections will be held in the country. It brings promises of peace and stability for the country as a whole and the start of an official transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding.
The African Union (AU)-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) is preparing the ground for leaving the country by June 2020, but Mr. Lacroix confirmed that the UN country team will keep providing support in the areas of rule of law, livelihoods, emergency service delivery, and human rights. In the same occasion, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the AU Smail Chergui, after congratulating Sudan for its achievements, called for a coordinated approach of the international community in supporting the transition Sudan is facing as well as a wider inclusion of all parties at the negotiation table in Darfur.
To know more, please read:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/08/1044961
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/pm-hamdok-seeks-remove-sudan-terror-list-190826055440915.html
https://ucdp.uu.se/#country/625
Author: Annette Savoca; Editor: Shrabya Ghimire
