Sudan power-sharing deal blow to Saudi Arabia, UAE: Commentator
A New York-based author and commentator says the power-sharing agreement recently signed in Sudan shows that financial contributions to the Sudanese military by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have failed to compromise civilian participation in government.
Naseer al-Omari made the remarks to Press TV’s The Debate program on Saturday. The program had Abayomi Azikiwe, editor with Pan-African News Wire from Detroit, as its other guest.
Omari said the conclusion of the deal, which came on Saturday, showed that “the UAE and Saudi Arabia were not able to strengthen the hand of the military through donations.”
Hundreds of Sudanese converged on the capital, Khartoum, for the signing of the agreement brokered by the African Union and Ethiopia.
The military took over in April, after overthrowing long-time president Omar al-Bashir.
The Sudanese, who had been initially protesting against Bashir’s rule, then began calling for the inclusion of civilians in the country’s transitional administration. The ruling junta cracked down on a protest camp in June, killing dozens of demonstrators, escalating the protests and prompting international pressure on the military to listen to the people.
The Saturday deal ushered in a sovereign council consisting of six civilians and five generals, who will run the country until elections, which will be held three years from now.
Omari called the agreement a “very very significant” outcome that had defied expectations of further chaos in the country.
“However, you can never be certain that this could be a smooth transition towards democracy,” he said. “The same forces that killed so many demonstrators are still present in the military council.”
Azikiwe also said that the first head of the transitional council would be a military figure and that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi had pledged the military three billion dollars in financial assistance before the deal was signed.
He said it was important for the transitional authorities to bring about the economic opportunities and political freedom that people yearn for inside the country.
Another important question was whether the new authorities would be prepared to withdraw the Sudanese forces partaking in an ongoing Saudi-led war on Yemen.
“They are draining a lot of resources... by taking part in a no-win genocidal war (in Yemen),” he said, referring to Sudanese authorities.
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