KHARTOUM: Sudanese leaders have delayed the signing of an agreement to resume a democratic transition following a coup in October 2021 due to continued disagreement between military factions.
The transition to civilian-led rule began after the 2019 ouster of Islamist general Omar al-Bashir, but was derailed by the coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Security reforms are a main point of contention in negotiations, building on a preliminary accord reached in December to install a civilian government.
Proposed reforms for Sudan
The proposed reforms include the integration into the regular army of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Burhan’s deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
The two sides have been at loggerheads over the timetable for the RSF’s integration. The signing ceremony, initially planned for Saturday, has been rescheduled to Thursday to finalize technical issues associated with the reform of the security forces.
The worsening state of the economy of Sudan has put pressure on all sides to reach an agreement. The country has faced a severe shortage of hard currency after the 2011 secession of South Sudan, which foreign aid cuts have exacerbated since the coup.
The crunch came just as the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year sent world food and fuel prices increasing beyond the means of most Sudanese.
