Sudan’s Gen Dagalo vows to stick by ‘every letter’ of power-sharing deal
The general considered to be Sudan’s most powerful player on Monday stressed his commitment to a power-sharing deal signed with the main opposition alliance on Saturday.
Gen Mohamed Dagalo, deputy leader of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council, signed the 18-page transition agreement with Ahmad Rabie, the representative of Force of Freedom and Change, the opposition alliance.
The deal laid out the details of how Sudan will be governed over the next 39 months until elections can be held.
It established a joint military and civilian council to act as a collective president and also formed a 300- person civilian legislature as the country charts a course after the removal of Omar Al Bashir from office in April after about three decades in power.
“We will stick to every single letter we have agreed on,” Gen Dagalo told the BBC in a television interview broadcast yesterday.
“Even without the agreement, we have to work in this direction because it’s in the country’s interest … we have to carry out the agreement, stick to it and support it,” he said.
Protests erupted in Sudan at the end of last year and culminated in a long sit-in outside the army’s headquarters before the military council and protest leaders thrashed out the agreement.
Gen Dagalo commands the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary outfit whose genesis was in a tribal militia that fought rebels in the western Darfur region in the 2000s.
He blamed “criminal elements” for what he called a campaign of misinformation after reports said the RSF was involved in the deaths of more than 100 protesters on June 3 when security forces moved to clear a sit-in.
Gen Dagalo said other players had been successful in driving a wedge between the protesters and the RSF.
“Investigations and information gathering are under way to determine who is behind spreading the false claims that the Rapid Support Forces turned from protection to killers,” he told the BBC.
Building consensus will be a difficult task if answers are not found in the investigation into the deaths, which sparked international outcry.
Gen Dagalo said he wanted to bring the Sudanese people together and build an inclusive society, with someone other than himself at the helm.
Sudan, however, is still in turmoil caused by an economy destroyed by Mr Al Bashir and fighting in pockets across the country where rebels refused to recognise Saturday’s deal.
Mr Al Bashir appeared in a courtroom outside Khartoum on Monday on charges of illegally possessing foreign currency and accepting gifts.
It remains to be seen if he will face justice at the International Criminal Court for crimes related to Darfur and other human rights abuses.
So far, Sudanese authorities have refused to hand Mr Al Bashir over to The Hague.
“Omar Al Bashir should be tried by Sudanese courts. However, it is up to the Sudanese people to decide,” Gen Dagalo said.
Whatever happens, he said, “accountability is a must and justice must be served”.
Gen Dagalo said he wanted to build an inclusive society, with someone other than himself at the helm