SPLM-N al-Hilu holds consultations with Sudan’s peace mediator
November 26, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu (SPLM-N al-Hilu) Monday met with the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to discuss ways to break the deadlock in peace talks to end the armed conflict in the Two Areas.
In a statement released from Addis Ababa, the spokesperson of the negotiating team said the delegation headed by the Amar Amun Daldoum the Movement’s secretary general arrived on Monday evening and met with the chief mediator Thabo Mbeki.
“Upon its arrival, the delegation met with the AUHIP Chairman Mbeki and his staff. The delegation will continue consultative meetings to break the deadlock and revive the negotiating process,” said Aljack Mahmoud Ahmed Aljack in his short statement.
The Sudanese government and the SPLM-N al-Hilu held informal meetings in Addis Ababa and Johannesburg from 19 to 30 October 2018. But the two parties failed to find a common ground to resume peace talks on the seven-year conflict in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.
The government proposed the resumption of negotiations with the same priorities as it had been agreed in the past with the SPLM-N team: a cessation of hostilities, followed by a humanitarian agreement and then start the political discussions.
For its part, the SPLM-N al-Hilu proposed to discuss the political issues first, and once a deal is reached will start talks the humanitarian access and the security arrangements including the ceasefire.
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir recently launched an initiative to reunite the two factions of the SPLM-N before to resume peace talks with the government. But, the SPLM-N al-Hilu group says the SPLM-N group led by Malik Agar must recognize first the current leadership.
In a tweet posted after a meeting with Mbeki in Addis Ababa on Monday, UK Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan Christopher Trott said he was “pleased to hear about the planned meeting in December”.
(ST)