Sudan’s anti-war civilian bloc splits over proposed government-in-exile

PORT SUDAN – The Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces, Sudan’s largest anti-war civilian bloc, also known as Taqaddum, announced on Monday that it has fractured into two factions following a public disagreement among key members regarding a proposed government-in-exile.

Taqaddum, led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, has been in discussions for several months regarding the formation of a government-in-exile. Proponents within the group argued that such a move would strip legitimacy from the military junta currently ruling from Port Sudan.

However, a deep rift within the coalition became apparent last week when the group’s spokesperson, Bakri Jak, and its deputy head, Al Hadi Idris, publicly expressed conflicting views on the issue.

These disagreements followed numerous internal meetings held by the coalition to discuss the proposal.

Jak stated that Taqaddum did not support the formation of a government-in-exile and that those within the bloc who advocated for it would be removed. Conversely, Idris asserted that no consensus had been reached within the coalition regarding the proposal, indicating a potential split within the organization.

In a statement released on Monday, the leadership body of Taqaddum announced that it had formally approved the division of the bloc into two distinct entities, each holding differing positions on the government-in-exile proposal.

The two factions will operate under separate political and organizational structures and will adopt new names.

“The leadership body of the Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces “Taqaddum” held a virtual meeting on Monday, February 10, 2025, chaired by Dr. Abdalla Hamdok, to discuss the issue of legitimacy and the stance on the proposal to establish a government as one of the approved mechanisms for addressing this matter,” the statement read.

The statement further explained that the decision to split the coalition was based on a report prepared by its political mechanism, which identified two irreconcilable positions on the issue of a government-in-exile.

“The meeting approved the report prepared by the political mechanism, which concluded that there are two divergent positions regarding the issue of government. Consequently, the most appropriate course of action is to separate the two factions, allowing each to operate under a politically and organizationally distinct platform with a new and different name,” the statement continued.

The statement clarified that both factions would, from Monday onwards, operate independently, pursuing their individual strategies.

“As a result of this decision, each faction will proceed independently from this date according to what it deems appropriate and in alignment with its vision on the war, ways to end it, achieving comprehensive and lasting peace, establishing sustainable democratic civilian governance, and countering the plans of the former regime, its dissolved party, and affiliated fronts,” the statement explained.

The statement concluded by confirming that each faction would publicly announce its respective political and organizational structures, as well as the new name under which it will operate.

“Each group will announce to the public its political and organizational arrangements, as well as the new name under which it will operate separately,” the statement concluded.

The split represents a significant development in the Sudanese political landscape and raises questions about the future of the civilian opposition to the military regime and its entire position on the war.