Sudanese gov’t to mull over SRF proposal for peace and dialogue
September 19, (KHARTOUM) – A senior official at Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) said the political parties participating in the government-led dialogue are considering the roadmap proposed by the rebel umbrella Sudan Revolutionary Forces (SRF) to achieve peace in the country.
The three rebel groups expressed their willingness to sign a cessation of hostilities for six months in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur region provided that Khartoum be committed to the inclusive dialogue process and accept the pre-dialogue process.
A senior government official told Sudan Tribune Saturday that they didn’t issue any statements regarding the SRF’s roadmap because the various government institutions are carefully considering the proposal in order to reach a unified opinion.
Also, the head of the NCP political sector Mustafa Osman Ismail told the pro-government Sudan Media Center (SMC) on Saturday that they approve some items from the SRF recent declaration and reject others, noting the proposal would be subject to further study by the political parties participating in the government.
He said the NCP and the dialogue coordination mechanism known as 7+7 would consider the SRF proposal, adding their final decision will be announced early next week.
Ismail said their initial assessment of the proposal is that it mixed between “good work and bad work” without elaborating on the issue.
Also, SMC quoted a source within the NCP as saying the SRF’s declaration for a six-month truce didn’t “come up with something new”, saying that president Omer al-Bashir has made the same announcement several times the latest being in August but the rebels rejected it.
Bashir announced on August 20th his willingness for a two-month ceasefire in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur region in order to hold the dialogue in a “healthy atmosphere”.
SRF roadmap stated that the parties must ensure that all armed groups under their control comply with the agreement on Cessation of Hostilities for Humanitarian Purposes, saying the agreement will apply throughout the Blue Nile, South Kordofan/Nuba Mountains, Darfur, and Kordofan.
It added the agreement should create conditions favourable to supplying emergency relief and provide security guarantees for safe, unhindered access by humanitarian agencies to vulnerable groups; and secure and provide free passage and unimpeded access for humanitarian personnel in accordance with international best practices.
According to the roadmap, the Cessation of Hostilities for Humanitarian Purposes should establish a High Joint Committee on Humanitarian Cessation of Hostilities, comprised of the parties to the conflict, the African Union, and other UN organizations, as well as UNAMID (Darfur) and UNISFA (Two Areas) as regional monitoring bodies.
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This Committee will be responsible for monitoring and verifying the implementation of the agreement, including monitoring the delivery of humanitarian aid and monitoring compliance with the prohibited activities set forth in the agreement.
The SRF also said it is committed to resolving the root causes of the conflict and its consequences through negotiations that address the particularities of Darfur and the Two Areas, in accordance with African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) Resolution 539.
It expressed strong support for conducting a preparatory meeting for the National Dialogue in Addis Ababa, in accordance with AUPSC Resolution 539, for all stakeholders to establish frameworks, modalities, and procedures for a credible, transparent, inclusive, and comprehensive national constitutional dialogue.
The roadmap set several confidence building measures to create the conditions and space necessary to facilitate the broader peace process including the immediate release of political prisoners and detainees, allowing freedoms, lifting censorship on media and ending the use of hostile media and propaganda.
(ST)