Sudan Call: Mbeki’s dialogue proposals ‘a practical bypass to the road map’

The Sudan Call, a coalition of opposition parties and armed movements, has announced its rejection of the proposals of the chairman of the African Union High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), Thabo Mbeki, in which he called for a direct dialogue of the opposition with the government on writing a new constitution and the holding of the 2020 general election.

The coalition says it considers the proposals “a practical bypass to the road map” signed under the stewardship of AUHIP in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa in August 2016.

The coalition said in a statement conveyed to former South African president Thabo Mbeki during a meeting with him on Thursday that they would hold a preliminary meeting to discuss the requirements and procedural issues before entering into any dialogue with the Khartoum regime on issues of national crises in order to reach a comprehensive political solution agreed upon by all.

The statement also stressed that a stop to the war and relief of its victims are at the top of the agenda of the coalition, and that the ultimate solution requires confronting the root causes of the war and addressing them within the scope of a comprehensive solution of all issues of the homeland.

Mbeki meets Al Bashir

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, Sudan’s President Omar Al Bashir held a meeting with Mbeki on Wednesday to discuss points on the outstanding peace negotiations agenda.

In a press statement after the meeting, Mbeki said that he an Al Bashir discussed a number of outstanding issues on the negotiating agenda regarding the regions of South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur.

Mbeki stated that the Sudanese government desires to involve everyone in the dialogue and contribute to national issues and its efforts for peace in the Two Areas (South Kordofan and Blue Nile states) and Darfur.