Final Statement of Security and Military Reform Workshop
The workshop for the security and military reform was held in the Friendship Hall in Khartoum, during the period 26-29 of March 2023, for which was called by the signatories to the framework agreement, in coordination with the tripartite mechanism consisting of the United Nations, the African Union and the IGAD.
The political process issued the final statement of the Security and Military Reform Workshop with the aim of developing the foundations and principles for an agreed on perceptions for the reform, integration and modernization processes of the security and military institutions.
The five issues workshops and conferences are considered part of the final stage of the political process as stipulated in the framework agreement signed on December 5, 2022, preceding the signing of the final political agreement.
The workshop targeted the discussion of the security and military reform process with the aim of developing foundations and principles for an agreed upon perceptions on the reform processes, integration and modernization of the security and military institutions, in a way that enhances the democratic transition process, the rule of law, adherence to international law and standards, and the development of the capabilities of the regular institutions for the protection of the homeland and national sovereignty, and putting the main foundation for building a comprehensive national security strategy that is consistent with and supports the political development in the country in the wake of the glorious December Revolution, including re-establishment and building of citizens’ confidence in the regular organs and strengthening civil-military relations as part of establishing a new social contract between all Sudanese men and women, in a way that achieves stability, just peace, democracy and sustainable development and human security.
The workshop proceeded from the philosophy that the process of reform in the security and military sectors is an integral part of the reform of the political, economic and party system and the comprehensive institutional reform of the Sudanese state, as the issue of change and reform in general is considered one of the priorities and pillars of the glorious December revolution, and it remained at the heart of the demands of the Sudanese resistance movement and revolutions against the regime of the defunct National Congress since the 1989 coup, when our country entered into internal wars for many years that left deep traces and columns of victims among the country’s citizens, civilians and military, and in all its parts, as well as its affect on the security and military sector and its development, which made the issue of security and military reform a priority in the campaign for the building of an agreed upon national project, based on freedom, peace, justice and equal citizenship.
The workshop dealt with all dimensions of the reform process with regard to laws, structures, military doctrine, the multiplicity of armies and forces, the purification of the regular forces from partisan political work and elements of the defunct regime, and the review of criteria and foundations for admission to military colleges and institutes by adopting the Sudanese diversity that makes the regular forces a reflective image of the country’s unique social and cultural diversity, and expresses the population census and the distribution of citizens, based on standards of competence, effort, giving and capabilities, and relying on professionalism in performance, and the building, qualifying and raising of the capabilities of the institutions of the regular forces.
More than 300 male and female participated in the workshop representing the regular forces of the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces, the Sudanese Police, the General Intelligence Service, and representatives of political leaders from the signatories to the framework agreement, armed struggle movements, and non-signatory political parties and civil forces participated in the workshop. On the framework agreement, including women’s groups, an estimated number of retired and dismissed from the regular forces, in addition to a number of international experts, representatives of diplomatic missions and regional and international bodies who participated in the opening and closing sessions of the workshop.
five theoretical papers presented in the workshop, on the international and comparative experiences were presented by a number of international experts in the fields of security and military reform, while the official sessions discussed in detail professional working papers presented by national experts from the military leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces, the police, the General Intelligence and the Rapid Support Forces.
The first session of the workshop dealt with the concepts and theoretical foundations of the security and military reform process, presented by expert Cinzana Foxa and commented on by Lieutenant General Hatem Al-Sir Al-Dasouki and was headed by Al- Mansoura, Dr. Maryam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi.
In the second session, expert Jeff Mabitdry reviewed the theoretical approach to security arrangements, while the paper of the official session on security arrangements was presented by Major General Abu Bakr Faqiri, and commented by Major General Essam Awad Al-Karim, Lieutenant General Dr. Adel Al-Ajeb, and Major General (retired) Kamal Ismail.
The workshop’s third session which was about the police work, Brigadier General Iyad Al-Jarrah of the UNITAMS mission, presented its theoretical background, while the paper on the Sudanese police reform, presented by Major General Dr. Mahmoud Suleiman, and commented on by Lieutenant General Dr. Adam Dalil and Lieutenant General Dr. Mohammed Abdel Majeed Al-Tayeb, and the session was chaired by by Lieutenant General Dr. Adel Al-Ajeb Yacoub.
The fourth session which was about the intelligence work, Expert kriss lukham tackled the theoretical and comparative experiences, and was followed by the session’s official paper entitled ‘’ the reform of the general intelligence organ in a democratic system, presented by Major General Mekki Awad Mohameden, commented on by Major General Medeni Al- Harith, and Lieutenant General Tajulsir Osman, and directed by Lieutenant General Mahmoud Fadulla Ghimish.
In the fifth session on the reform and modernization of the military institution from a global and comparative perspective, there were deliberations made by experts Simon Yazigi, Eric Larson and Professor Rafael Martinez, followed by the official session by presenting a paper on the reform of the Sudanese Armed Forces presented by Major General Diaa Al-Din Ahmed Al-Awad, Brigadier General Mudassir Ibrahim and Colonel (navay) Ali Tabeeq, and commented on by Lieutenant General Hatem Al-Sir Al-Dasouki, and Lieutenant General Maash Kamal Abdullah Adam, and the session was chaired by Lieutenant General Rabie Suleiman.
In the seventh session, the Rapid Support Forces presented a paper on the security and military reform process, presented by Brigadier General Omar Hamdan, and commented on by Major General Mohammed Ahmed Abbas and Major General Mohammed Or Nasser, and it was headed by Major General Othman Mohammed Hamed.
All the workshop’s sessions were rich with information and analysis, deep and transparent critical discussions, responsible and professional dialogues dominated by the patriotic spirit and foreseeing the future and the transitional phase in order to achieve the slogans and goals of change and the victorious revolution.
The military and civilian specialized committees will continue discussions on the final technical and general formulations of the detailed recommendations of the workshop, with a view to publish them to the public opinion and including them in the draft final political agreement, including the main principles and foundations of the security and military reform process based on the paper agreed upon between the parties and signed on March 15 in which the main issues related to reform, merger and modernization were settled, with the remain of some details that the joint technical committees are currently working on.
