Experts monitor several indications in the appointment of Malik Agar, the former leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement “Northern Wing”, to the position of Vice-President of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, after relieving the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Lieutenant General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hamidti”, from the position.
On Friday, the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, issued a decree relieving Hamidati from the position of deputy head of the council.
The Sudanese army said in a statement that the implementation of the decision will start from Friday, May 19, 2023.
Al-Burhan directed the General Secretariat of the Sovereignty Council and the concerned authorities in Sudan to put the constitutional decree into effect, according to a statement by the Sudanese News Agency, SUNA.
Al-Burhan appointed Malik Aqar, a member of the Sovereignty Council, to the position of deputy of the council, according to SANA.
Who is the owner of a property?
Malik Agar is one of the founders of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, which was formed in 2011, following the independence of South Sudan, and was one of the armed rebel movements, according to “AFP”.
Reuters described the new deputy of the Sovereignty Council as a “former rebel leader.”
The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement was fighting on the side of South Sudan before it became an independent country, in 2011.
With the secession of South Sudan after a referendum, under a peace agreement signed in 2005 that ended 22 years of civil war, this group returned to fighting in the regions of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
In 2017, it split into two movements: the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement / Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu wing (in the north) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement / Malik Agar wing, according to “AFP”.
In October 2020, the movement led by Agar, with rebel movements from the Darfur region, signed a “Juba peace” agreement with the transitional government after the overthrow of their old enemy, Omar al-Bashir, in April 2019.
Within the framework of the agreement, Agar became, in March 2021, a member of the Transitional Sovereignty Council in Sudan.
Significance of choosing a drug
In his interview with Al-Hurra website, the director of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis in Khartoum, Al-Rashid Ibrahim, refers to several political, military and national indications for choosing Aqar in the position of Vice-President of the Sovereignty Council.
He believes that after the rebellion of the Rapid Support Forces led by Hemedti, another deputy had to be appointed to the position of head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council.
He says, “Agar is a civilian political figure and has a positive attitude after integrating the SPLM-N forces into the Sudanese army without hesitation following the Juba Peace Agreement.”
A drug was chosen, in an indication of “the army not monopolizing power, and allowing the representatives of the regions to participate in governance,” according to Ibrahim.
And the Sudanese political analyst, Shawky Abdel-Azim, who talks to Al-Hurra website, agrees with this proposition about several indications for choosing the new vice-president of the Sovereignty Council.
The first of these indications is “regional”, as the real estate represents the regions of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, which are considered “marginal”.
And he was chosen for that position as indications of the Sovereignty Council’s support for peace, because Agar expresses the “Juba Agreement,” according to his speech.
He sees the choice as “an indication that the army system, which is represented by Al-Burhan, does not monopolize all positions in the Sovereignty Council.”
For his part, the military and strategic expert, Major General Kamal Ismail, confirms that the decision pours more oil on the fires of fighting raging in Sudan.
Removing Hemedti from his position will ignite infighting and battles between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, and will not calm the crisis situation, according to his interview with Al-Hurra.
He says that Hamidti did not participate in the decisions issued by the Sovereignty Council, and the solutions must be “logical,” as he put it.
He believes that any talk of “exemption or appointment” is of no value in light of the unabated fighting between the two sides.
constitutional decision?
According to the constitutional document in force in Sudan, when a public position becomes vacant through “dismissal, resignation or death,” a replacement is chosen to occupy that position, according to Ibrahim.
The director of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis in Khartoum believes, “The possibility of Hamidti’s death during the last period,” and says, “There are indications that the army has information and details about the killing of the commander of the Rapid Support Forces.”
He continues, “The decision may have come in anticipation of the official announcement of the death and in order to avoid a retaliatory reaction by members of the Rapid Support Forces.”
On the other hand, Shawky Abdel-Azim denies this proposition, ruling out the possibility of “killing or dying” Hemedti.
And if this matter had already happened, “the wording of the decision would have been different, and the Sovereignty Council would have announced the death of Hemedti and then appointed a landlord,” but this has not happened until this moment.
He points out that the decision to appoint an “unconstitutional” landlord came after the Sovereignty Council’s roles were eroded, since the October 25, 2021 coup.
He explains that the constitutional document did not specify rules for choosing the vice-president of the Sovereignty Council, and that Hamidti took the position by “laying hands.”
Therefore, there are “many constitutional violations” in the decision to dismiss Hamidti and appoint Agar in that position, according to the political analyst.
Major General Kamal Ismail agrees with him, and says that appointing Agar to the new position is “a war decision that is not linked to a legal formula.”
The position of deputy head of the Sovereignty Council was not included in the “constitutional document”, and therefore the decision is “illegal”, according to his statement.
What is the expected role of a drug?
According to Ibrahim, the owner of the property is a seasoned politician, and he will have a role summed up in diplomatic moves, visits, and foreign tours with Arab and African countries.
And there will be no role for the new vice-president of the Sovereignty Council in the fighting that Sudan is currently witnessing, according to Ibrahim, because the forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement “Northern Wing” have been fully integrated into the armed forces and are part of it now.
Abdel-Azim agrees with the last point, and says: “There is no role for the movement in the current fighting in the country,” but he disagrees with the nature of Aqar’s role in the next stage.
He clarifies his position, saying: “Agar did not have any major political roles and was not the owner of influential initiatives throughout his history.”
The Sudanese analyst indicates that Agar had disagreements with the political wing of his movement, which caused divisions within it, and therefore he does not have political experience that qualifies him to play any role according to his new position, as he put it.
