Sudan Call says preparing to meet mediator over the signing of peace roadmap
July 22, 2016 (PARIS) – The opposition umbrella Sudan Call opposition on Friday said they preparing to meet the chief mediator soon to discuss the signing of the Roadmap Agreement following the positive feedback to their proposals on the framework text.
In a letter sent to the head of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) on behalf of the holdout groups last June, the leader of the National Umma Party (NUP), Sadiq al-Mahdi called to add a supplemental document to the Roadmap Agreement before to sign it.
AUHIP chief, Thabo Mbeki, in a first time, declined the proposal of supplemental document. However, in a second letter on 23 June, he reassured the Sudanese opposition groups that all their concerns have already their answers in the roadmap.
In his second correspondence to al-Mahdi, Mbeki said the meeting proposed in the roadmap is actually the preparatory meeting the opposition calls for. He further said that their delegation to the meeting can include other political forces in a way to be inclusive . Also He said they can propose additional items to the agenda of the meeting to address all their concerns.
On Friday, Sudan Call groups issued a statement at the end of a five- days meeting in Paris, saying that there are some positive developments to their proposals for the Roadmap Agreement.
“There have been positive developments in response to the call put forward by the Sudan call forces, through direct correspondence and meetings with the AUHIP, African Union, regional and international community,” said the statement.
“These developments will be discussed in a meeting -under preparation- with President Mbeki, to pave the way for the signing of the Roadmap Agreement.
“Under the terms of this Roadmap Agreement, the preparatory meeting would be held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, followed by the launch of the equal peace process which would lead to stop the war, spread freedoms, and to discuss the remaining requirements of the productive National Dialogue,” stressed the statement.
On Thursday, a member of AUHIP team was in the French capital where he held a meeting with the opposition groups . It was reported that the opposition groups previously agreed on the term of a letter to be addressed to the African mediation.
The move as such is seen as a significant step by the holdout forces towards a negotiated agreement to bring peace and achieve democratic reforms.
Some armed or political opposition factions refuse to join the Sudan Call groups that agreed to negotiate with the government of President Omer al-Bashir without abandoning political mobilization against the regime.
Last March, the Sudanese opposition groups rejected the Roadmap saying it excludes the other opposition groups, didn’t address some confidence building measures like political freedoms and release of political detainees and prisoners.
SUDAN CALL STRUCTURES
In line with statement, the Sudanese armed and political groups endorsed the structures of the leadership and executive bodies.
The Leadership Council which is made up of 20 members representing the five blocks will take the major decisions of opposition umbrella. Its president will be selected by consensus
The Executive Council will be tasked with the mass mobilization besides, political and diplomatic activities inside and outside Sudan. It will be headed by a chairperson and his deputy, and consists of eight sectors.
Regarding the National Consensus Forces (NCF), the meeting decided to represent some of its forces which accepted the formation of Sudan Call’s structures.
Since last April, some left groups of the NCF rejected the idea of structuring the Sudan Call saying there is no need for the structures, as its activities should focus on the popular uprising and ways to mobilize the street to overthrow the regime peacefully.
(ST)