Sudan expects Mbeki’s visit before resumption of peace talks in September

September 8, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese government Thursday said expecting the resumption of peace talks with the opposition groups in mid-September, adding that the chief negotiator may visit Khartoum soon for discussions on this respect.

Information Minister and Government’s Spokesperson Ahmed al-Balal has said that the international community is carrying out efforts to convince the armed groups to sign a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access agreements before to engage in political talks involving opposition parties.

In statements to the semi-official Sudanese Media Centre, the minister said that if these efforts succeed then the chair of the African Union High level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Thabo Mbeki will pay a visit to Khartoum to discuss the resumption of the negotiations.

He further pointed to the readiness of the government’s negotiating teams to respond positively to Mbeki’s invitation whenever they receive it.

“This year is the year of the final negotiations, so there is a need to reach understandings that satisfy all the parties,” al-Balal added.

Last month, the AUHIP suspended sine die the talks for humanitarian truce in Darfur and the Two Areas after the failure of the parties to strike a deal. from 9 to 14 August.

But one week later, Presidential Assistant Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid who heads the negotiating team for the talks with the SPLM-N said that the African Union decided the resumption of the peace talks within two weeks without further details.

Hamid further expressed his government willingness to resume talks with the armed groups for the sake of peace.

Informed sources told (Sudan Tribune) Thursday, that the opposition Sudan Call groups prefer to resume the peace talks during the last week of September as they want to hold one-week consultations meeting before.

The sources further expected that the opposition Sudan Call alliance would hold their meeting after Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice to end by the 25 September. The pointed they want to coordinate positions before the strategic meeting on the other confidence building measures before to join the national dialogue process in Khartoum.

On 8 August, Sudanese Revolutionary factions and the National Umma Party signed the Roadmap Agreement, five months after refusing to ink it.

In a statement issued after the suspension of the talks, the mediation said an agreement on the Two Areas is only impeded by the difference over the humanitarian access. However it pointed to several obstacles preventing the signing of a deal on Darfur

(ST)