Sudan’s Resistance Committees Removed After Meeting with Pro-coup Group

Some members of the Ombada resistance committee meet with the National Consensus leaders on July 31, 2022

August 1, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – A neighbourhood resistance committee dismissed one of its leaders after his participation in a meeting with the National Consensus coalition chaired by Minni Minnawi to discuss ways to end the political crisis in Sudan.

Since the army’s coup against the civil authority in October 2021, the resistance committees have staged peaceful anti-coup demonstrations under the slogan “No negotiation, no partnership, no bargaining”.

However, in an unexpected development, Kareem Benzema, a member of the Resistance Committee of Ombada Dar Assalam suburb took part in a meeting with the National Consensus coalition which backed the military coup.

As a response, Oumbadda Dar Elsalam Resistance Committees issued a statement dismissing their member, Kareem Benzema under the accusations of treason and the infringement of resistance committees regulations.

As for the dismissal of the resistance committee member Karim Benzema, Ahmed Ismat, Spokesperson of the Khartoum Resistance Committees, told Sudan Tribune that the decision came as a result of violating the resistance committee’s principles and regulations.

Ismat explained that the stance of the resistance committees on national consensus is not as radical as it’s been portrayed, but rather that they want consensus among the civilians not with the military.

He said that the army’s recent decision to withdraw from politics is nothing but political manipulation. He added that the military component is in fact an agent for some countries in the region, but also they have no intention to relinquish their economic investments.

“If the army really wants to step down from the political scene, it must hand over all of its companies to the civilian government, with the dissolution of the RSF and its merger with the national army,” said Ismat.

“This is the only way to achieve consensus,” he stressed.

He confirmed that the goal of the resistance committees is to destroy the socioeconomic structure of the state in order to build a state that is more just and inclusive to all the people of Sudan.

Mubarak Ardol National Consensus Secretary-General said the meeting with Benzema and his colleagues was promising as they discussed how the resistance committees can take part in the transition.

“We listened to them respectfully despite the heated discussion and answered their questions and explained to them what we can play as political counterparts. But, we do not want to lead them or dictate anything,” said Ardol in a statement after the meeting.

For his part, Benzema reaffirmed to Sudan Tribune that he attended as a representative of the neighbourhood resistance committee.

“If we want to build a state and achieve the democratic transition it is necessary to listen to the other side and consider what they are presenting,” he said.

The ousted member stressed that a large number of resistance committees’ members support this approach, but their voices are being dismissed and oppressed by “threatening of dismissal”.

“There are political groups that control the resistance committees,” he further added claiming they manipulate the resistance committees through controlling leadership positions and managing the resistance committees’ platforms on social media.

The very decentralized neighbourhood committees, in general, are not flexible with the other pro-democracy political forces and armed groups.

Some of them, refuse to have any joint activities with the FFC as they blame its leadership for accepting to rule the country with the military component.

Others criticise the armed groups and even reject Yasir Arman SPLM-N Deputy Chairman despite his open position against the coup, his arrest after the coup and active participation in the FFC coalition.

(ST)