SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Askoury, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Social Justice: “We at the Democratic Block did not sign the framework agreement, we are not accepting it, we reject it. And we do not accept the lawyers draft, we have our point of view on the dates that we weren’t consulted on. It is not accepted by us. I think any group forming an authority without an agreement with the other political powers will lead the country into darkness. We hope the brothers will sit with the other Sudanese brothers and reach an agreement with them. It is a big mistake that they can even think that they can run the country by force.
Abdul Aziz Asher, Spokesman of Justice and Equality movement: “As you know there was an initiative by the IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) but it was cut short because some specific groups were invited and not others. They invited another group to represent the political situation and to form the next scene, for the block took a clear position by boycotting these meetings.
Various of democratic block members meeting STORYLINE: An influential Sudanese political faction condemned the vow by the country’s military and pro-democracy forces to begin forming a new transitional government next month. The faction, known as the Democratic Block, includes Sudan’s finance minister, Jibreel Ibrahim, and the Governor of Darfur, Minni Minnawi, among numerous other smaller political figures and parties.
“I think any group forming an authority without an agreement with the other political powers will lead the country into darkness,” said Ali Askoury, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Social Justice, a group that is part of the Democratic Block. Sudan has been plunged into chaos after a military coup, led by the country’s top Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, removed a Western-backed government in October 2021, upending the country’s short-lived transition to democracy. Under immense international pressure, the military signed a preliminary agreement with various pro-democracy forces last December pledging to restore a civilian-led democratic transition. On Sunday, Sudan’s military leaders and pro-democracy forces stated they would finalize December’s deal and begin establishing a new civilian-led transitional government on April 11.
AP video shot by Ashraf Idriss