Sudan Appeal forces propose new approach for peace talks, National Dialogue

The Sudan Appeal forces have expressed their disappointment about the refusal of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to attend the pre-dialogue meeting in Addis Ababa last Sunday, under the auspices of the AU High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP).

In a meeting with the AU Panel, chaired by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday, the allied opposition the mediators to adopt an alternative approach concerning the peace negotiations and the National Dialogue.

El Sadig El Mahdi, head of the National Umma Party, informed Radio Dabanga that the meeting assessed the peace negotiations and National Dialogue process so far, and discussed the approach required to gain positive results.

“We stressed to the African mediation mechanism that the Sudanese opposition has not changed its stance concerning a peaceful political solution to the crises in the country, as the military option, preferred by the Khartoum regime, will fail in the end.

“We suggested the development of an alternative framework, instead of following the current patterns of the UN Security Council Resolution 2046 and the communiqué of the 456^th meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council.”

The chairman of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebel alliance, Malik Agar, commented to Radio Dabanga that the refusal of the NCP to participate in the meeting before the start of the general election on 13 April is “tantamount to ending the AUHIP efforts to reach a solution for the armed conflicts in the country for the past four years”.

Agar said that the SRF had wanted to create a conducive environment for the pre-dialogue meeting, by offering to negotiate a cessation of hostilities in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile on purely humanitarian grounds. “We consider relief access to the population, affected by the fighting and aerial bombardments, an absolute priority”.

The rebel leader stressed that the current situation requires the adoption of a new approach by the AUHIP. “The political and humanitarian issues are to be strictly separated in a new round of negotiations.”

‘Pressure’

Last week, US Vice President Joe Biden met with AUHIP chairman Mbeki in the White House to discuss the situation in Sudan.

Biden praised the efforts by the AU team to mediate between the Sudanese government and the allied opposition forces. He pointed to the urgent need to continue pressure on the government and the leaders of the opposition and the civil society to start a national dialogue process, stressing the importance of "creating a single nation-wide approach to end the conflicts in Sudan".