Remarks by the European Union

Let me begin by thanking the United Nations, the African Union and IGAD for the invitation to speak this morning.

I am speaking on behalf of the European Union and I am joined by a number of our Member States: Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands and Poland.

This is the fifth and final workshop set up under the Framework Political Agreement and getting to this stage sends a clear signal that this political process is making progress, that civilian rule beckons and that everyone should rally around the process to deliver on the promises of the revolution.

Security sector reform is, in the words of the Framework Political Agreement, one of the main issues facing the country and the Agreement claims that without building and reforming a single, professional and national defence force, according to agreed security arrangements, Sudan will not be able to achieve democracy, peace or development.

The vision set out in the Framework Political Agreement is a unified professional force that:

• protects the country’s borders and democratic civilian rule;
• distances the army from politics;
• prohibits the regular forces from engaging in investment and commercial activity, except for those related to military manufacture and missions; and
• an intelligence service limited to collecting and analysing information without the power of arrest or detention.

This Workshop is likely to devote much time to the sensitive issues of reform and integration.  But we need to get the governance arrangements right as well since the Framework Political Agreement signatories also made a joint commitment to the constitutional order and respect for the rule of law.

Civil society has an important role to play and Sweden has been providing technical support to women in particular.  We are pleased to see that this workshop will have expertise on offer to it from a variety of international sources, including Spain and Austria.

Experience abroad shows that security sector reform can be a lengthy process and that it can take time to get it right.  Like any long journey, the first step is often the toughest one to take.  We, therefore, encourage the relevant stakeholders to take advantage of the opportunity offered by this workshop to take that first step together. 

The prize is a security sector the people of Sudan can be proud of, and that will serve the people well, and one that we, the international community, can eventually work with on a range of regional and international security challenges.

Khartoum, 26 March 2023