Sudan's army chief vows to hold elections at end of transitional period

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – Sudan’s army chief Gen. Abdul Fattah al-Burhan on Monday pledged to hold elections at the end of the country’s transitional period.

The pledge was made during the signing ceremony of a framework agreement between the ruling Sovereign Council and political groups.

The deal pledges a 2-year transition period and the appointment of a civilian prime minister by political parties that signed the framework agreement.

It also calls for the reform of the military and defense sector, unifying the military and integrating the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force, into the army.

"We are committed to fully exit the military establishment from the political process, hold elections by the end of the transitional period and implement all issues in the framework agreement," al-Burhan said.

The army chief also vowed to turn the military into a constitutional institution “that can’t be politicized by any group or ideology.”

Monday’s agreement was signed amid mass protests staged by pro-democracy demonstrators in the capital Khartoum to show their opposition to the deal.

Several Sudanese groups have boycotted the deal, including the grassroots pro-democracy network, known as the Resistance Committees, which opposes any negotiations with the military.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, a move decried by political forces as a "military coup."

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar