We are seeking to have all the Sudan Call groups in Addis Ababa meeting: SPLM-N

August 18, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) said they are in contact with the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to enable the opposition alliance National Consensus Forces (NCF) to take part in a consultations meeting over peace and democratic reforms.

On Monday, the alliance of the Left forces issued a statement saying they are not invited to participate in a meeting the AUHIP organizes to discuss ways to resume peace talks and the facilitation of the national dialogue process.

However in a statement issued from Johannesburg where they are holding a series of talks with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) officials, the SPLM-N leadership stressed that the mediation should invite all the signatories of the Sudan Call declaration in order to reach a comprehensive settlement.

“The SPLM-N clearly see that Addis Ababa meeting is a rare opportunity to meet with the Sudan Call leaders to give a unified message for the African Union and to develop their joint political positions. Also the African Union oughts to send invitations to all (the Sudan Call forces,” said a statement released by the spokesperson of the SPLM-N negotiating team Mubarak Ardol.

Ardol added that their focused in their contacts with the African Union, the NCF chairman. Farouk Abu Issa and the head of the civil society initiative Amin Mekki Medani on this point, in order to hold a meeting involving all the opposition groups.

The SPLM-N leader, Malik Aggar, heading a rebel delegation including his deputy Abdel Aziz Hilu and the secretary-general Yasir Arman, arrived in Johannesburg on Monday 17 August where they met with the ANC chairman and speaker of the South Africa’s parliament Baleka Mbete.

In Khartoum, the head of the African Union office in Khartoum, Mahmoud Kan confirmed that the invitation is addressed to the SPLM-N, the National Umma Party, and the rebel groups in Darfur region.

He said the purpose of the meeting is to brief the invited opposition groups about the outcome of his meeting with the Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir on 3 August.

(ST)