FFC, 7+7 body to continue talks for inclusive dialogue in Sudan

May 24, 2016 (KHARTOUM)- The opposition Future Forces of Change (FFC) and the National Dialogue’s Higher Coordination Committee (7+7) have agreed to continue joint meetings over inclusive dialogue and the African Union-brokered Roadmap Agreement.

The FFC coalition includes several parties that were part of the government controlled national dialogue, but they decided to suspend their participation in the process demanding to ensure freedoms and include the other opposition forces including the armed groups.

Speaking to journalists following the third meeting on Tuesday, Hamid Mumtaz of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and 7+7 member, said that both parties have agreed to continue discussions on the participation of the holdout political forces so as to ensure the inclusiveness of the dialogue process and to end the armed conflicts in Sudan.

In the meantime, FFC spokesperson, Ahmed Abu-al-Gasim, said that the joint committee decided to continue next week the discussion on the agendas in the hope of reaching an all-inclusive dialogue leading to end war in Sudan.

Last March, the chief mediator Thabo Mbeki encouraged the two sides to engage the discussions, hoping that the opposition FFC groups would join the process and contribute to hold an inclusive dialogue.

The armed groups and the National Umma Party (NUP) have refused to sign a roadmap he proposed asking for the inclusion of all the opposition groups and to ensure political freedoms.

In separate statements, the head of FFC media sector Mayada Suwar al-Dahab, described the meeting as “positive” adding that the two parties agreed on the inclusiveness of the dialogue and to continue discussions to include all the parties before to hold the National Dialogue General Assembly.

Last Monday the ruling NCP announced that the general assembly will be held next October with the participation of the willing political parties and armed groups.

FFC political secretary and deputy chairman of the Reform Now Movement (RNM) Hassan Rizq last week said the dialogue conference wasn’t inclusive.

he further said that FFC sees that the outcome of the dialogue conference must be dealt with as a step towards the inclusive dialogue, saying the holdout opposition should develop their own proposals and then the two sides could reach joint recommendations.

(ST)