The International Crisis Group has given caution over the implementation of the Sudan power-sharing deal.
In a statement, the organisation said the Junta might not let civilian authorities audit or control the sources of foreign exchange.
“Caution is warranted, however. The junta signed the agreement only under intense external pressure from parties that included the AU, the U.S., the UK and the EU. Many of its members are beneficiaries of the patronage-based economic system that Bashir created,” they said in a statement.
The Crisis Group is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation committed to preventing and resolving deadly conflict.
The organisation proposes that the international community helps bridge gaps in trust between the parties to ensure that the accord’s timetable stays on track.
“To give the transitional authority the best chance at success, external actors, notably the African Union (AU) and its partners, should act as guarantors of the agreement,” they said.
“Meanwhile, both Western governments and Arab Gulf states should stand ready to offer substantial financial assistance to the new administration, contingent on the generals respecting the accord’s provisions for civilian control, both in principle and in practice.”
Sudan’s army rulers and protest leaders on Sunday signed an agreement on a constitutional declaration that is expected to lead to civilian rule following the overthrow of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir.
The deal was signed after months of negotiations between the ruling military council and the Alliance for Freedom and Change (AFC).
However, the Crisis Group says the generals who have monopolised power in Sudan for three decades will not share power easily. “And the new administration will inherit an economy in deep distress”.
They also note that the junta has been unafraid to use deadly force to get its way.
“On 3 June, troops stormed the sit-in outside the military headquarters, then ten weeks old, killing more than a hundred protesters, raping dozens and reportedly burning some alive, in a burst of brutality that shocked the world,” crisis group notes in its statement.
They also warn of the lack of opposition’s cohesion and unity, and the failure by some constituencies to endorse the power-sharing agreement, which is likely to frustrate its implementation.
