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Statements made by prominent leaders of the Islamic Movement, marginalized in the period following the overthrow of Omar Al-Bashir’s regime in the 2019 revolution; revealed the secrets of a deal struck with the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. This particular deal included their willingness to support his forces’ continued rule for a long period of time, in exchange for their return to the political scene through the ongoing war in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his first media appearance in years, Ahmed Haroun, a leader in the dissolved National Congress Party (NCP), shared in statements reported by (Reuters) that “the upcoming elections could present an opportunity for his Party to return to power.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Probably, the Sudanese Army will remain in power even after the war ends,” he added when referring to the overlapping interests between the Port Sudan forces and traditional Islamist forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This comes at a time when battles are raging on several fronts. Although the Rapid Support Forces maintain control over large areas in Darfur and Kordofan, the Islamists believe themselves as having an active role in the military gains achieved by the Sudanese Army, strengthening their influence in the new governance equation and repositioning them for political influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Popular Rejection<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless, despite growing indications of the return of figures associated with Al-Bashir’s regime to the political and military landscape, a number of Army leaders and loyalists of the former regime continue to avoid publicly confirming such connections, in an attempt to avoid provoking popular rejection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its noteworthy that the general situation, especially amongst the revolutionaries and civil society, still harbors a great deal of anger toward ousted President Omar Al-Bashir and his National Congress Party, which many hold responsible for the country’s ongoing crises, including the wars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Circumstantial Alliance<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In regards to such a concept, researcher and political analyst specializing in African affairs, Montaser Kamal, believes that this reluctance to announce or confirm any alliance between the military establishment and the Islamic Movement stems from both parties’ awareness of particularly how critical this moment in time is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kamal added to (Erem News) that the Sudanese Army realizes that any announced rapprochement with the former regime could undermine the tattered remains of its image amongst the Sudanese people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He considered the events taking place -currently- to be “a circumstantial alliance rather than a strategic merger,” noting that the interests of survival and the balance of power in the midst of the ongoing war forced the two sides to come together. However, the aforementioned mutual benefit doesn’t preclude the possibility of conflict later if the balance of power shifts or post-war arrangements are reached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He explained that despite the Sudanese Army’s denial, (Reuters) quoted Haroun -a figure wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC)- as saying that his Party is proposing a structure that would grant these forces a Sovereign role, along with holding elections to choose a Prime Minister. He emphasized that a return would only occur through the ballot box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Political Gains<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For her part, academic and political analyst Mona Saleh said that parties amidst the Sudanese Army’s ranks as well as some currents within the Islamic Movement are attempting to take advantage of the ongoing war to achieve political gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saleh added that the continuation of the fighting allows them an opportunity to return to power, especially given the weakness of the State and the declining role of civilians in the political scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She pointed out that some are exploiting the circumstances of the war to reassert themselves, and that some statements regarding elections and the possibility of the Islamists’ return reveal clear intentions to exploit the situation for the benefit of specific parties, rather than focusing on ending the war and achieving peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The academic and political analyst added that this approach could further complicate the crisis, because turning the war into a means for political return distances the country from the goal of achieving a solution and brings it closer to further division. Moreover, such an approach emphasizes that the priority ought to be to stop the fighting, not exploit it for personal goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Statements made by prominent leaders of the Islamic Movement, marginalized in the period following the overthrow of Omar Al-Bashir’s regime in the 2019 revolution; revealed the secrets of a deal struck with the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. This particular deal included their willingness to support his forces’ continued rule …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":161818,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-161819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-investigations"],"yoast_head":"\n