A Sudanese protester runs past a mural during a demonstration near army headquarters in the capital Khartoum back in April 2019. Photo/AFP-FILE.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 18 – President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged the Sudanese people to resolve their pending differences through dialogue and uphold the rule of law.
The Head of State assured the leaders of the transitional authority and the people of Sudan that “Kenya will stand by you as you embark on the journey towards democracy.”
He further hailed the transitional military authority and the Opposition for the power-sharing deal which is expected to lead to democratic elections in 39 months.
He pointed out that this is an indication that the leaders had put the interests of their country before their own.
He was speaking as he joined several African Heads of State and Governments in witnessing the signing of a pact that will establish a transitional government in Sudan.
The agreement is set to bring to an end the standoff between civilians and military forces in the Republic of Sudan.
Sudan’s military council and protest leaders on Saturday signed a hard-won “constitutional declaration” that paves the way for a transition to civilian rule.
The agreement was signed by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, deputy chief of the military council, and Ahmed al-Rabie, representing the Alliance for Freedom and Change protest umbrella, an AFP reporter said.
Heads of State, prime ministers and dignitaries from several countries — including Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Egypt’s premier Mustafa Madbuli — attended the ceremony in Khartoum.
The constitutional declaration builds on a political declaration that was agreed by the military and protesters on July 17.
It formalises the creation of a transition administration that will be guided by an 11-member sovereign council, comprised of six civilians and five military figures.
The agreement follows nearly eight months of protests — initially against longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir, who fell in April, and then against the military council that deposed him.
Talks between the protesters and the military were mediated by the African Union and Ethiopia, which brought the two sides together again even after a protest sit-in outside military headquarters was brutally dispersed by men in military fatigues on June 3.
The signing ceremony started with Sudan’s national anthem, followed by a reading of verses from the Koran and the Old Testament, while the words “Sudan’s joy” were emblazoned on banners.
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