SPLM-N denies intentions to participate in Sudan’s dialogue conference
December 19, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) has dismissed media reports Saturday in Khartoum claiming that the movement would participate in the final session of the dialogue conference.
In a press release Saturday, SPLM-N peace file spokesperson, Mubarak Ardol, dismissed as “untrue” press reports that a delegation from the movement would participate in the final session of the dialogue conference in Khartoum.
He stressed that those reports has nothing to do with the informal discussions that took place between the SPLM-N and the government in Addis Ababa.
In a press conference Friday, member of the dialogue body known as 7+7 Faisal Hassan Ibrahim expected that several members of the SPLM-N would soon join the dialogue conference.
However, Ardol pointed in his statement that the SPLM-N is negotiating with the Sudanese government not the 7+7 mechanism, saying the latter should refrain from issuing inaccurate statements.
“Unless its [the 7+7 mechanism] objective was to spoil the unremitting efforts made by the conflicting parties to achieve comprehensive solutions and equitable dialogue with the participation of all parties in order to end the war in the Two Areas and Darfur and to achieve national consensus and to bring Sudan’s political and economic isolation to an end,” he said.
Last November the government and the SPLM-N failed to reach cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access agreements in the Two Areas, as the five-day talks showed that important gaps persist in the positions of the two sides.
On Friday, the two sides wrapped up a three-day informal meeting organized by the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) in Addis Ababa to explore ways to overcome their differences.
The two sides were not able to reach an agreement on the main outstanding issues but agreed to resume discussions soon.
The rare appearance of the SPLM-N chief negotiator Yasser Arman on the government-owned Sudan TV channel following the end of the informal discussions has prompted speculations that a political settlement was imminent, particularly as security services prevents local newspapers and official TV channels from mentioning any statements or remarks by rebel leaders.
The SPLM-N calls for a comprehensive peace agreement in Sudan including the political opposition, saying they refuses to repeat the 2005 peace agreement that led to the separation of South Sudan. They say the issue of the Two Areas should be resolved within a national approach.
The Sudanese army has been fighting SPLM-N rebels in Blue Nile and South Kordofan since 2011.