EU ambassadors meet with Umma Party leader in Sudan

On Saturday, the ambassadors of the member states of the European Union (EU), resident in Khartoum met with El Sadig El Mahdi, chairman of the Umma National Party, at the party’s headquarters in Omdurman.

In a press statement on Saturday, the EU Delegation to Sudan reported that the Ambassadors of the European Union, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Romania, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom welcomed the return of El Mahdi after two years outside Sudan, and listened to his views about the country.

They expressed the hope that his return will contribute positively, and leads to a meaningful dialogue and participation between all the political parties of Sudan.

They encouraged and urged all parties to seize this momentum to speed up engagement on the AUHIP roadmap framework to end the conflicts in Sudan, and move towards peace and stability in the region.

Exile

El Mahdi returned to Sudan on Thursday after more than two years of self-imposed exile in Cairo. Thousands of supporters gathered at the airport to receive him.

Journalists were unable to report on his arrival as the security serviced prevented them from entering Khartoum International Airport.

After he arrived at his home in Wad Nubawi in Omdurman, the former Sudanese Prime-Minister addressed his followers in a speech, in which he stressed his commitment to the roadmap for peace and to peacefully achieving the objectives of the Sudan Appeal coalition. He further announced his willingness to resign in the near future.

The Umma Party leader left Sudan in August 2014 after having been detained for a month. He was accused by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) of undermining the Constitution, after he had denounced the widespread attacks against civilians in Kordofan and Darfur by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by the NISS.