Messages from General Yasser Al-Atta! To whom?

Mubarak Ardol

We have a strong friendship and mutual respect with General Yasser Al-Atta, whom we have known since our days in the forest fighting against the regime of Al-Ingaz. We have mentioned this on several previous occasions. Our relationship strengthened during the negotiations with the Military Council, where we were part of the Freedom and Change Forces negotiating team that documented the civilian-military partnership in the Constitutional Declaration, which has governed the country since 2019. Yasser and his colleagues in the Military Council deserve credit for siding with the people’s revolution and deciding to deliver the final blow to Bashir’s regime. Without their conviction and cooperation, the regime would not have ended in such a manner, and the door would not have been opened for a new era of change (despite differing opinions on it). At that time, the regime had exhausted all its means, and there was no hope of holding on to power. Their grace is something that these officers are credited with, and it cannot be forgotten.

Also, after two years of continuing the partnership, and due to the greed of some political forces attempting to monopolize power without popular legitimacy or public mandate, we decided together to oppose them and end the partnership on October 25, 2021. However, the steps to build what came after faltered due to the differing agendas of those who led the change at that time. The situation remained as it was until the Framework Agreement was presented on December 5, 2022, which led the country into the bloody conflict we are experiencing today.

Political forces aligned into two camps, overcoming their historical differences. We focus only on our camp. On our side, we aligned with the legitimate state institutions as a position of national political forces under such circumstances, regardless of their leadership. We stated this publicly within hours of the attack’s onset. We even worked alongside the Armed Forces in the Battle of Dignity, and we still do. Without the work and alignment of the national forces, the steadfastness and confrontation against the hijacking of the state and the erosion of public life would not have been possible. We have transcended all issues that might disrupt the cohesion of the internal front. Victory in such situations relies on unity and the overcoming of personal ambitions.

However, in recent times, despite the internal front’s exposure to violence and setbacks, such as the fall of cities and military garrisons one after the other, and the painful realities and internal and external challenges it brought upon the citizen and the political forces standing with the Armed Forces, we have continued to hear negative political messages stirring up divisive issues, such as the matter of governance—its structure, form, and method! At a time when the Armed Forces leadership, if they fulfilled their technical and constitutional duties, would be spared the curses of the seats of power, which have consumed every ruler who passed through Sudan.

The issue of governance—its distribution of roles, authorities, and policies—is one of the core issues that should be discussed by all parties in the country—political, civilian, and military. No one has the right to impose their conditions on others, as it is, first and foremost, a fundamental issue, not a secondary one. No political force has authorized any party to determine the fate of the country on its own.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Chairman of the Sovereignty Council has repeatedly spoken about the role of the Armed Forces and the nature of government, even the one that will be formed after the war. We do not need to hear contradictory messages. Even a non-partisan government of technocrats has not been discussed because Dr. Al-Tijani Al-Mahi was once the Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, and we were the ones who pushed for rotational leadership between civilians and the military during negotiations back then. We did not discuss independents. We opposed the Framework Agreement because it sought to strip the Armed Forces of their authority.

On July 4, 2022, the Armed Forces announced their withdrawal from the political dialogue. In the recent session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2023, General Al-Burhan, Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, stated that he would hand over power to civilians. So how are we to understand the continuity that General Al-Atta proposed even after the elections? The elections and the form and system of governance are determined by the Sudanese people through their political, social, civilian, and military bodies in an inclusive dialogue that excludes no one. Afterward, these matters are put to a general referendum for the people of the country. But for now, all these issues remain postponed until the generals’ sacred mission—the war and achieving a comprehensive ceasefire—is completed, whether on the battlefield or at the negotiation table, preserving the country’s borders, maintaining its unity, and returning its people to their homes and protecting them. So, General, accomplish the tasks at hand. We are supporting you at every stage and with all that you need, but the issue of governance—what you have proposed—is, at best, a ceiling representing you as military personnel. We, too, have our ceilings, which we will present at the table, as you know, to initiate the transitional period. We will not, at the very least, compromise on the issue of democratic civilian rule. The final decision on what follows the elections will be left to the people through the elections and the referendum, where they will choose their representatives and address their concerns.

In conclusion, I believe it is clear to everyone that the leadership of the Armed Forces has a significant effort to make in developing, qualifying, and strengthening the army without being distracted by other issues, especially after the war. The war has at least shown them the areas of weakness that need to be addressed without becoming entangled in the games of governance and politics, which will divide more than they unite and scatter more than they bring together. If General Al-Atta focuses on that and makes it a noble goal, and cooperates with civilians who believe in the role of the Armed Forces, it will be better for him, for us, for our people, and for our army. The ambitions we face are significant, and we need your doubled efforts in this field.