African mediation and Sudan Call delay meeting on peace roadmap
December 8, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – A meeting between the African Union mediation and the opposition Sudan Call has been delayed due to logistical reasons, as a government delegation has arrived in Addis Ababa for talks with the
However, different participants reached by Sudan Tribune said they were not able to travel to Addis Ababa due to the failure of the mediation to finalize the logistical arrangements on time.
Also, the Sudan Call leader, Sadiq al Mahdi who is in London has some medical examinations that he would like to complete before to travel to Addis Ababa as he prepares to return to Khartoum from the Ethiopian capital.
The meeting is expected to take place during the upcoming week but no definitive date has been determined.
The opposition group is opposed to a proposal made by the AUHIP to cancel the preparatory meeting in Addis Ababa to discuss the agenda of the national dialogue and the confidence-building measures to be taken before the return of the armed opposition factions to Khartoum for the dialogue conference.
In a related development, Sudanese government delegation headed by Presidential Assistant Faisal Hassan Ibrahim arrived in Addis Ababa on Saturday for a new round of informal discussions with the SPLM-N.
In remarks made before a humanitarian convoy to the Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions, Ibrahim stressed the government’s seriousness in achieving peace in the two regions and strengthening it in Darfur.
“The government delegation will go to negotiations with an open heart and mind,” he said.
The Sudanese official further urged the SPLM-N al-Hilu to listen to the voice of reason to reduce the suffering of citizens to achieve peace and development throughout the nation.
in a statement on Friday, the SPLM-al-Hilu rejected the African Union Roadmap for peace in Sudan and called for new arrangements.
(ST)