People of Sudan Initiative before attrition or perdition by Dr el-tahir El-faki

11:42 AM September, 02 2022

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Dr.El-Tahir El-Faki-UK
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President Lincoln’s Gettysburg address states; “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”. And, we believe, share and adhere to the same values that Sudan and its people shall not perish.
If the contending Sudanese politicians accept the proposal by General Al-Burhan on the 4th of July 2022 to withdraw the military all together from the political arena, a solution for the protracted political and endemic economic crisis in the country and quest for established civilian transitional government will not be farfetched. Some political forces and organisations out rightly rejected the proposal and considered it a rancorous charlatan to perpetuate his grip on power assuming that consensus is unachievable. It is far better to reassess the position than trench on a course that is eventually heralding misery, economic hardships and unnecessary human loss. Let the course of events subject his true intentions to the test instead of suspicions and assumptions. General Hemedti also confirmed his support and commitment to hand over power to an agreed civilian government chosen by consensus.
At present there are numerous initiatives and roadmaps alleging to solve the political problems in Sudan. The most recent is the “People of Sudan Initiative”, launched by the Sufi dignitary Mr Al-Tayyib Al-Jidd for completing the transitional period under civil government of technocrats leading to fair and transparent elections in 2024. Various political forces, organizations and General Al-Burhan welcomed the initiative and reasserted their engagement. The discussions to form a government of independent competencies to run the country up to elections in January 2024 are already in process and 35 names of candidates have been handed to Al-Burhan to choose a prime minister.
The nonagenarian Sufi leader, a former high court judge, proposed a round table discussions that was held in mid-August articulated in three phases. The first tier started consultations with all the political parties and organizations to the conflict to assess their desires for an initiative. The second phase of the tier is the Pre-discussion assessment of the acceptability of the proposal. The third phase is the invitation of all the groups for direct roundtable discussions excluding foreign elements. The dignitary cleric convergence of the different proposals into an initiative meant to accelerate the pace and agree on mechanisms derived from the various political orientations to form a government of technocrats and arrange for fair elections in 2024 before it is too late to preserve the integrity of Sudan.
The roundtable dialogue was also meant to expose the genuineness of the military’s claim to relinquish power and hand it to the civilians and make it even harder to retract, repeal or dishonor commitment back to the barracks. Honoring the pledge, the military will ease the paradoxes and the mistrusts tormenting the country for three decades of military-led institutions.
Success of the roundtable sole Sudanese dialogue should be regarded a credit to the revolution allowing subtle exodus from military rule to civil government. The negative and dreadful aftermaths that threats failure of the process would be the spiralling of the country into attrition of tribal, sectarian loyalties and allegiances, the symphonies of which are already orchestrated by various groups.

The vulnerability of the initiative is not in the lack of support by some groups but in the loss of hope among the Sudanese people and the international community if all went wrong and the parties failed to agree on a common ground. It will then become pointless to continue with the same methodology of intra-Sudanese dialogue and expecting a different conclusion. The divide and the mistrusts are the ingredients of anarchy and perdition if consensus is not promptly and speedily attained.

A comprehensive political solution requires compromise and acknowledgement that if nobody wishes to compromise there will be no solution and the only beneficiary is the military component. Those accusing others of perpetration and backing the coup must concede that there are genuine threats to the nation and their own political futures if they continue their antagonistic ethos believing that the public and time is on their side. As for the supporters of the initiative, it is paramount to adopt an amicable methodology and admit misjudgments in handling reactions to the coup and will not shy away from working together for the sake of the country.
Most important of all, the military requires endorsement of its function as a national institution without the threat of dissolution or fragmentation in a civilian-led authority and its economic investments preserved and safeguarded under transparent equitable processes. And, where evidences suggest that the military collaborates or involves in wrong doings will be subject to the swords of the law.
The dependence of the state on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for stability remains ambiguous until dissolved or merged fully into one Sudanese military authority. Vehement intentions to counteract the RSF will inadvertently and disastrously propel the country into unruliness. No matter how appealing the dissolution may be, the end is certainly costly for the successors to smother without extensive loss of blood if the situation is not handled appropriately.
The splintered political factions and organizations lost their revolutionary potency and have become nationally unpopular, inept, and internationally ostracized for lacking political leadership and vision. Compromising for the sake of the country to achieve national consensus will open the door for domestic and international acknowledgement that all sides care for their own people and deserve political and economic support.
The initiative should not be divided into isolated or separate components, nor viewed as conflict amongst personalities or individuals over posts and job quotas. The initiative must not be met with retroactive thinking that only keeps the process hostage to petty concerns, idiosyncrasies and egos of few individuals.
Beneath all the boisterousness of the contending political groups, preservation of the Sudanese nation and its integrity is everybody’s obligation. The dangers facing the People of Sudan Initiative are the indecisiveness, weaknesses and the intransigence of the leaders broiling in collateral scuffles for power and vengeful against personal pains, insults and sufferings.
It is high time to not allow our nation to hurdle into attrition, perdition or perish.


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