Sudan welcomes rebel proposal to associate Qatar to African efforts for peace
May 16, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government Monday welcomed a proposition by two rebel groups to include Qatar in the African Union led mediation to end armed conflicts and achieve democratic reforms in Sudan.
JEM and the Sudan Liberation Movement- Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) believe that the Qatari involvement will allow to negotiate some specific issues related to Darfur region that the government has been refusing to touch in Addis Ababa.
Government spokesperson and information minister Ahmed Osman Bilal hailed JEM-SLM-MM call saying the Qatari participation will help to narrow the gaps between the government and the armed groups
“Qatar’s inclusion in the mediation mechanism led by the AUHIP will contribute significantly to narrow the gaps between the government and the armed movements, especially since the State of Qatar has made efforts to achieve peace in the country, and will continue to have a positive impact, next to African mediation to reach a comprehensive peace,” Osman said.
the Sudanese minister further reiterated the government readiness to engage in any negotiation process that lead to achieve the country’s interest whenever the mediation extends an invitation.
During the past rounds of peace talks in Addis Ababa, the two groups demanded to open the DDPD for negotiations but the government refused and asked them to sign the framework document first before to discuss its content.
JEM, the National Umma Party, SLM-MM, and SPLM-North refused last March to ink a Roadmap Agreement prepared by the African Union mediation team calling for a holistic solution in Sudan.
According to the peace plan, the armed groups have to negotiate security arrangements to end armed confrontations in the Two Areas and Darfur and to reach an agreement on humanitarian access to civilians in the war zones, before to engage in dialogue process which gathers all the political forces.
The four opposition forces argued that the roadmap excludes important political forces and acknowledges a government controlled dialogue conference as base for the constitutional process.
(ST)