Sudan paving the road for lasting peace under UAE sponsorship

Nahla Abdelmonem

The Sudanese government signed on August 31 an historic peace agreement with rebel movements in Sudan, including the Sudanese Revolutionary Front.

The agreement was signed in South Sudanese capital Juba after 17 years of armed struggles in the region.

It opens a new chapter for the region, one of reduced tension between political forces in it.

Head of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, attended the signing of the agreement, along with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

A delegation of senior Sudanese politicians also attended the signing of the agreement, together with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and South Sudanese Vice-President Riek Machar. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates sponsored the agreement signing.

Terms

The agreement gives makes the Blue Nile and South Kordofan autonomous areas.

It distributes economic and financial resources among the two regions. Sixty percent of these resources will be given to the federal government of Sudan, whereas 40% will be given to local authorities in the two regions.

The agreement also specifies 25% of cabinet and legislative council seats for the two regions. It also specifies three seats inside the Sovereign Council for the members of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front.

The agreement extends the transitional period in Sudan to 39 months as of the date of its signing, September 1.

The transitional period started in April 2019, soon after the downfall of the Omar al-Bashir regime. It should have lasted for 39 months since that date.

The agreement gives the militias and militant movement active in the two regions 39 months to integrate themselves into regular security forces or disband themselves.