Sudan’s dialogue facilitators still have to fix a date for the meeting: official

May 9, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – The date of the intra-Sudanese dialogue process has not yet been determined, said UNITAMS spokesman on Monday without elaborating on the circumstances that caused the delay.

In April, the three envoys of UNITAMS, African Union and IGAD met the head of the Sovereign Council exhorting him to take confidence-building measures adding they want to launch the process during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

After a series of meetings with Sudanese stakeholders, six envoys from the European Union and Troika countries issued a statement on 29 April where they welcomed “the facilitators’ announcement that they would convene a meeting to this end on 10-12 May”.

However, until May 9 none of the stakeholders confirmed the receipt of an invitation to attend the dialogue meeting.

“The meeting was scheduled for this week,” said UNITAMS Spokesman Fadi al-Qadi in an email to the Sudan Tribune, “but I have no knowledge when it would take place,” he further added.

The two-day meeting aims at bringing the various Sudanese stakeholders to adopt an agenda to discuss amendments to the constitutional declaration, criteria for selecting a prime minister and government, plan to end the deteriorating economic situation and general elections.

Obviously, the facilitators failed to find a formula enabling them to combine the different positions declared by the stakeholders.

The Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) say they are committed to the process stressing it should lead to establishing full civilian government without military participation.

For their part, the military who control power after the coup say not interested in power but at the same time work to establish a new political coalition including the allies of the former regime to counter the FFC groups.

An eastern Sudan tribal group also reiterated its demand to cancel the eastern Sudan peace protocol which is part of the Juba Agreement for Peace in Sudan.

Observers in Khartoum say pessimistic that the process with its current configuration can lead to the restoration of a civilian government.

(ST)