New Government Consultations.. Al-Burhan’s Options

Sudan Events – Abdel Basset Idris

President of the Sovereignty Council TSC,Lt.Gen.Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, intends to name a prime minister in preparation for the formation of a new transitional government. This comes amid major security and economic challenges and risks, and a state of chaos left by the militia war on the state and the weak effectiveness of its official institutions.
What are Al-Burhan’s options? What is the form and program of the government and the reasons for its formation? And what is the impact of the move on the internal and external situations?

Details of Consultations :

Information revealed that the President of the Sovereignty Council TSC ,Lt. Gen.Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, summoned a group of political leaders on Wednesday, with the aim of consulting on the formation of a transitional government.
According to the “Sudan News Network”, the group of politicians included chieftain Turk, head of the Supreme Council of Beja chieftains , Jaafar Al-Mirghani, Deputy head of the original Democratic Unionist Party, Mubarak Al-Fadil, head of Umma Party, Al-Tijani Sisi, head of the Liberation and Justice Party, Jibril Ibrahim, head of the Justice and Equality Movement ( JEM) and Minni Arko Minawi, head of the Sudan Liberation Movement ( SLM).
Al-Burhan did not disclose during the meeting the person who was chosen to head the Council of Ministers for the next phase, and the sources revealed that the consultation was about the political forces’ vision of how to manage the state under a new government that enjoys the support of the political and societal powers.
The same sources revealed that the general trend is to form a government of technocrats, which is what the military leaders in the Sovereignty Council TSC and the commandment of the armed forces SAF agreed upon.
Reasons for formation:

There are many reasons behind this move, most notably the constitutional vacuum following the dissolution of the government on October 25, the vacancy of the position of Prime Minister after Hamdok’s resignation and the assignment of undersecretaries and general managers to manage the work, the weak institutional performance and the lack of effectiveness of most ministries and state agencies, and the exit of others with their ministerial and administrative staff from service, such as the ministries of information, social development, oil and energy, higher education, general education, the land authority, and the disruption of the work of many prosecution offices and courts, which was reflected in the decline of services and the collapse of some of them, and government agencies lack an operational plan consistent with the armed forces SAF and the administration of the country in light of the war.
The other matter is that some foreign countries deal with the current sovereign and executive situation as a de facto authority devoid of legitimacy, and other countries and institutions do not recognize it at all.
Al-Burhan’s options:

Since the October 25 coup and the dissolution of the partnership with the Alliance of Freedom and Change powers ,the President of the Sovereignty CouncilTSC and Commander of the SAF, Lt. Gen. Al-Burhan, has continued to affirm the commitment of the armed forces SAF to form a civilian government, pledging that the army will completely withdraw from political work once the transitional period for a government elected by the people ends, stressing the submission of the entire security system to the elected authority at that time and the SAF dedication to developing itself and carrying out its duties.
Al-Burhan’s messages were more precisely directed to the people and the revolutionary youth, but the war has added another dimension and a new challenge to these assurances, as Al-Burhan is currently governed by a strict popular position towards the determinants of the war and the management of the next phase, addition to being governed by the will of the army and the security system, whose leaders see that they and the people are paying the price for mistakes and corrupt political practices that led to the country falling into the current trap.
Thus, he does not have the sole decision to appoint the prime minister, separate from a decision issued by him in his military capacity.
The Assistant Commander-in-Chief, Lt. Gen.Yassir Al-Atta, said that the upcoming transitional period will be a foundational period free of any participation by political parties, and that Burhan will make new decisions and a new constitutional document will be announced.
The last thing is that Burhan is bound by Juba Peace Agreement and is obligated to implement its provisions, including the 25% share of legislative and executive authority.
It is no secret that completing the implementation of security arrangements and integrating the movements’ forces into the national army – which is a strategic goal – is contingent on adhering to the percentage of participation in power.
The last thing is that Burhan is bound by the inevitability of consulting with the national political forces that stand behind the SAF in Dignity Battle which requires him to take into consideration the SAF ’ observations regarding the government and the selection of the prime minister and address the issue of the oversight body that will monitor the government, as most political blocs want to be represented in a transitional parliament to participate in completing the transitional tasks and participate in preparing the laws that will establish the permanent status.
Who is the Prime Minister:
The indicators (events) indicate that Burhan wants to stop the war, as the war is basically a political decision, and the SAF did not make this decision, but it responded to Hemeti’s coup attempt, the rebellion of his forces, and the attack on his headquarters with deterrence.
The official spokesperson for the SAF stated in the first statement on April 15 of last year that the Rapid Support Forces RSF rebelled and were attacking the SAF headquarters and that he would work to “subdue” the rebellion through armed force.
Then the war turned into foreign interventions that impose the selection of a prime minister based on its data. In addition to the basic criteria, the country seems to need a well-known prime minister who is able to address the outside world. Many names have emerged, including Ambassador Dafallah Al-Hajj, who ended Saudi Arabia’s opportunity by approving his nomination as ambassador to Sudan six months after his nomination. The second candidate is Dr. Kamel Idris, whose stock has risen recently because he is a well-known figure who held a high international position in the past.
News has emerged that external parties have instructed the possibility of dealing with him. Kamel entered the list as the most prominent candidate to block the path of external parties working to form a government and withdraw international legitimacy from Burhan’s authority.
The second candidate is the Minister of Finance, Dr. Jibril Ibrahim.
Despite his experience that may qualify him to hold the position, he does not enjoy European and American acceptance and has confrontations and declared positions with the ambassadors of the Quartet and Volker, as he refused to participate in the framework agreement and his movement participated effectively in the palace sit-in to demand the departure of the FFC government.
The fourth candidate, who was preferred by the SAF Commandment , was Lt. Gen.Mirghani Idris, Director of the Defense Industries System, a man who enjoys the trust of Burhan and the security system behind him. He was also one of the most prominent negotiators in the security talks between Sudan and Israel and Burhan’s delegate to consult on the recent framework agreement.
The European Union EU tried to block his way to the position after imposing sanctions on him.
The fifth and final candidate was the acting governor of Khartoum, Ahmed Osman Hamza, who is described as an independent and distinguished administrative man. His nomination appeared spontaneously on social media.