Sudan Call meetings begin in Paris

The Sudan Call (also referred to as Sudan Appeal) Forces – a coalition of Sudanese opposition movements – have begun a series of consultative meetings in the French capital of Paris.

Major participants include the President of the National Umma Party (NUP), El Sadig El Mahdi, the Sudanese Revolutionary Front led by Minni Minawi, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North led by Malik Agar and the Sudanese Civil Society Initiative.

Dr Maryam El Mahdi, the co-president of the NUP, told Radio Dabanga that consultative meetings, which started on Monday and will continue until Saturday, come at an important and extraordinary time, 14 months after the last meeting after leaders were banned from traveling to participate in the meeting and had their passports confiscated.

‘Spirit of patriotism and mutual respect’

She described the consultative meeting which witnessed two sessions yesterday as characterised by a spirit of patriotism and mutual respect.

Malik Agar, the head of the (SPLM) North, described the consultative meeting as characterised by a spirit of understanding between all components, despite the absence of important members of Sudan Call because of restrictions preventing them from traveling to join the meeting place in Paris.

He told Radio Dabanga that the discussion began yesterday in Paris on the current political situation with regard to security and economic and human rights conditions in the country, this in addition to the main agenda for the consultation on the peace process in Sudan and the initiatives made by components of Sudan Call.

Hamid Ali Nour, the Secretary-General of the Sudanese Civil Society Initiative, told Radio Dabanga that the leadership council approved in its meeting yesterday the agenda of the meeting, which included several issues, such as evaluating the general political situation in Sudan, the mass arrests of opposition leaders, and the deteriorating economic situation of citizens.

He said that the council also discussed other developments since the last meeting in January of the year 2017 and so far.

He explained that the leadership council will continue the meetings this afternoon to reflect on the road map agreement signed since August 2016 and so far and how the political process will be expanded towards achieving democratic transition in the country.

‘Unity of the Sudanese opposition’

The Sudan Revolutionary Front chaired by Minni Minawi renewed its keenness on the unity of the Sudanese opposition.

Yesterday in a statement, he said that the meeting of the Sudan Appeal in Paris in the absence of the SPLM-N leadership of Abdelaziz El Hilu does not mean a clear solution for the representability of the SPLM-N in the forces of Sudan Call and does not mean to bypass them.

Mohamed Zakaria Faragallah, the spokesman for the Revolutionary Front told Radio Dabanga that “The Sudan Call meetings are the culmination of our efforts in response to our continuous demand that all the components of Sudan Call should sit down to discuss the current national crisis".

He reiterated the SRF support for the popular revolution, called upon the masses of the Sudanese people to exercise their legitimate right to peaceful demonstration and the continuation of the popular uprising.

The statement also called for diversifying the means of struggle, unifying efforts and pushing for change.