Sudan says invited to unofficial consultations with Darfur groups in Germany
January 24, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Presidential Envoy for Diplomatic Contact and Negotiation for Darfur Amin Hassan Omer on Wednesday said the government has been invited to participate in unofficial consultations with Darfur groups in Berlin.
However, in a press release extended to Sudan Tribune Wednesday, Omer clarified his statements, saying the government didn’t decline the invitation to go to Germany.
“It is not true that the government delegation wouldn’t go to Berlin to talk to Darfur movements. Rather, it is true that we don’t recognize an entity called the Revolutionary Front and we wouldn’t go to negotiate with a party under this name” he said
He pointed out that the government has received an invitation to participate in unofficial consultations in Berlin, saying they expressed readiness to talks to Darfur movements which signed the African roadmap.
He stressed the government continued readiness to go to Berlin or Addis Ababa to engage in talks on the bases of the roadmap agreement signed between the parties, saying this position has been conveyed to the mediators and the German envoy to Sudan.
The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) led by Minni Minnawi last week said it received an invitation to meet the Sudanese government in Berlin by the end of January to sign an agreement that would pave the way for the resumption of negotiations.
However, the rebel umbrella pointed out that they declined the invitation asking to free the political detainees arrested recently over protests against rising bread prices.
The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-MM) led by Minni Minnawi and the Justice and Equality Movement have engaged in peace talks with the government under the auspices of the African Union.
In August 2016, the two groups signed a Roadmap Agreement with the government in order to end the conflict and participate in an inclusive constitutional conference inside the country.
However, the two sides failed to sign a humanitarian cessation of hostilities in Darfur region.
Since then, the mediation team led by the former South African President Thabo Mbeki has not convened a new round of talks as the facilitators seek the bridge the gaps between the Sudanese antagonists.
The German government which is a facilitator for the African Union efforts to end armed conflicts in Sudan hosted several meetings in the past for the opposition groups or between the government and opposition.
(ST)