Sudan's delayed political deal to be signed on April 6

Spokesman says stakeholders promised to double efforts to meet new deadline

A protester holds a makeshift shield as he walks past an armoured police vehicle during an anti-military demonstration in Sudan's capital, Khartoum. AFP

The signing of a political agreement to relaunch Sudan's civilian-led democratic transition towards free elections has been delayed until Thursday, according to a spokesman for the negotiation process.

Khalid Omar Youssef said on Twitter that the military and pro-democracy civilian parties have agreed to “redouble efforts to overcome the remaining obstacle within a few days and pave the way for the signing of the final political agreement on April 6”.

The deal, which was scheduled to be signed on Saturday, has been delayed due to a lack of “consensus on some outstanding issues”, Mr Youssef said earlier.

The deal is designed to build on a preliminary agreement reached in December that called for the military to step down and quit politics altogether. The pact also sought the integration of the Rapid Support Forces into the armed forces.

But differences emerged last month over the timeline for integrating the powerful paramilitary force into the military.

Media reports in recent days have suggested that the proposed RSF integration is the main stumbling block in the negotiations, with the paramilitary proposing a process stretched over 10 years compared with the two years proposed by the army.

Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, the army chief who seized power in a coup in 2021, has said he will not sign off on an agreement that does not include clear and acceptable language on the RSF integration, complete with a timeline.

The RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo, who is also the deputy chairman of the ruling and military-led Sovereign Council, has spoken of his support for a “single army”, but is yet to unequivocally accept bringing the RSF under full army command. According to him, the process has to be part of reforms at all state institutions and should not undermine the “special status” of his force.

In theory, the RSF has been under the command of the military since 2013 when a law legalised its existence, but the well-armed and combat-seasoned force has been run and operated independently.

It funds and procures its own weapons, hires foreign military advisers and runs its own business interests. The force of an estimated100,000 members has operated across the capital Khartoum since 2019.

The RSF has its roots in a militia that fought on the government’s side during the civil war in the western Darfur region. The militia, known as the Janjaweed, was accused of committing atrocities during that conflict.

Tension between the army and the RSF has heightened in recent weeks, giving rise to fears among Khartoum residents that clashes between the two sides could break out. Army troops deployed in the capital have been put on heightened alert in recent weeks. Checkpoints outside the military headquarters in central Khartoum have also been beefed up.