SPLM-North withdraws from AU-IGAD consultations over disregarded proposals

August 12, 2024 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu withdrew on Monday from consultations organized by the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Addis Ababa, citing the technical committee’s failure to consider its proposals.

The consultations, held over the weekend, aimed to reach an understanding of issues related to the Inter-Sudanese dialogue. They included the Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces “Tagadum,” the SPLM-N, the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Mohamed Nur (SLM-AW), the Baath Party, the Popular Congress Party, and the Democratic Unionist Party – Al-Hassan Al-Mirghani faction.

In a statement, SPLM-N’s chief negotiator, Koko Mohamed Jqdoul, said the movement withdrew because the technical committee dropped some of the agenda and dialogue issues it had presented, and made substantial changes to the draft political process document.

Jqdoul said the SPLM-N had proposed a roundtable discussion involving political forces that support the Nairobi Declaration signed with former Premier Minister and Tagadum leader Abdallah Hamdok, but some parties opposed the idea and insisted on starting the Sudanese dialogue without specific criteria.

The Nairobi Declaration, signed in May, calls for ending the war and establishing a state based on new foundations, including the separation of religion and state and the right to self-determination.

Jqdoul also criticized some of the proposed participants in the political process, saying they represent the “old Sudan” and are “nothing more than political and civilian fronts for the Islamist movement.”