AUHIP chief to meet Sudan rebel leaders
August 4, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The chairman of the African High level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Thabo Mbeki announced his intention to hold a meeting with Sudanese armed movements in mid-August to consult on the national dialogue process called for by the government last year.
He added that Khartoum expressed commitment and readiness to stop the fighting once and for all in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan border states which has witnessed fighting since 2011.
The chief mediator said he will convey the government’s position to the rebels during al meeting with them later this month.
On Monday, Sudan’s first vice-president, Bakri Hassan Salih, vowed that the government would provide the necessary guarantees to secure the participation of the rebel umbrella, Sudan Revolutionary Forces (SRF) leaders in the national dialogue inside Sudan.
Salih asserted that president Omer al-Bashir has offered religious and moral commitment to ensure the safety of the SRF leaders to come to Khartoum to participate in the national dialogue.
“We will sit with them to discuss the nature of the guarantees which they demand,” he said.
Mbeki said that his team “is keen on meeting all parties and rebel movements to find out their position on the dialogue and the peace process in the country”.
He pointed out that he had met in Khartoum with a delegation from the opposition parties who told him that they refuse to participate in the dialogue unless the government undertakes a package of requirements namely the release of detainees and the abolition of laws restricting freedoms.
The opposition also demanded prior preparations for the dialogue process and the establishment of a charter and a roadmap and adherence to Addis Ababa agreements.
On the Darfur peace process Mbeki said that government officials told him of their willingness to end the conflict in the region
“The door is open for Darfur rebels, should they want to stop the fighting through an agreement with the government, provided that it is within the framework of the Doha Document as desired by Khartoum” Mbeki said.
The former South African president said he will submit a detailed report to the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) following completion of his consultations with all the Sudanese stakeholders.
On relations between Khartoum and Juba, Mbeki said that defense ministers of the two countries will soon meet in Addis Ababa to discuss mutual accusations of backing the rebels and demarcation of the borders and determining “demilitarized” zone as well as deployment of joint border patrols.
(ST)