Sudan’s ruling party and opposition Umma reiterate commitment to peace roadmap
June 14, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) Thursday said they agreed to create a conducive environment for national dialogue and to commit themselves to the African Union roadmap as a mechanism to discuss national issues.
“After mutual clarification of the views, it was agreed that creating the confidence-building measures and sticking to the roadmap should serve as a mechanism for discussing national issues,” reads the joint statement co-signed by the two political leaders.
The two sides further agreed to continue to consult on ways to pursue the optimal implementation of the confidence-building measures and the roadmap in order to achieve a comprehensive national reconciliation.
The statement stressed the process should be inclusive and not dominated by any side.
Last week, the NUP dismissed statements by the head of NSP political sector Abdel Rahman al-Khidir who spoke about discussions with the Umma and Communist parties.
According to the joint statement, the NCP delegation met with al-Mahdi as NCP committee tasked with the dialogue with the NUP on the basis of the AU roadmap and to discuss its participation in the national committees for the preparation of a permanent constitution.
Last March, the election of al-Mahdi as the chairman of the opposition umbrella of the Sudan Call alliance infuriated President al-Bashir who recalled that his government would not tolerate any alliance with the armed groups.
In a recent meeting held last May, the Sudan Call wrote a detailed position paper on the roadmap and the dialogue with government and tasked al-Mahdi to deliver it to the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel which mediates the Sudan peace process.
(ST)