Sudanese government to participate in Addis Ababa meeting with opposition

August 5, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese government announced on Friday it will participate in a “consultation meeting” with the opposition Sudan Call Groups in Addis Ababa next week.

The opposition Sudan Call Groups calls to organize a preparatory meeting before joining the national dialogue inside the country, while the government and the National Dialogue Coordination Committee (7+7) say the meeting is “consultative” and not “preparatory meeting”.

Sudanese Presidential Assistant and the head of government negotiation team for the Two Areas, Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid, announced that government delegation will participate in the “consultation meeting” with armed groups, National Umma Party of Sadiq al-Mahdi and allied opposition groups after receiving an invitation from the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to participate in the meeting next week.

“The government delegation will meet Sadig al-Mahdi, Darfur rebels, SPLM-N immediately after they sign the Roadmap Agreement in their meeting with AUHIP in Addis Ababa on Monday and Tuesday,” said Hamid.

He pointed the meeting will discuss the cessation of hostilities, the humanitarian access and the framework agreement. He added the latter will be finalized according to the deal of 2011 which the government and the SPLM-N agreed on 90% of its items.

The government delegation and (7+7) committee will travel to Addis Ababa to resume talks on the Two Areas and Darfur from nine to eleven August.

The meeting was initially planned to be between the four opposition groups and the 7+7 committee. However, to make more inclusive now it will include the Sudan Call forces and not only the four groups, the dialogue committee and the Sudanese government. Also the opposition Future Forces for Change (FFC) will attend the meeting as an observer.

(ST)