Sudan dialogue looks to African neighbours for help

The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has announced that President Omar Al Bashir is in the process of issuing new decisions to enhance the climate around Sudan’s national dialogue.

Meanwhile the dialogue’s steering committee has requested neighbouring countries to help convincing the movements and parties that are unwilling to participate in the dialogue conference in October.

The meeting at the NCP leadership office on Monday, which was headed by its leader President Omar Al Bashir, also resulted in reassuring the leadership about the current arrangements for convening the national dialogue conference on 10 October, presidential assistant and deputy-head of the NCP Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid told reporters.

He added that the meeting acknowledged the continued oefforts that ensure access to and participation by all political forces, ideally leading to a successful conference and a comprehensive national dialogue. The government is “ready to negotiate” with the armed rebel movements in South Kordofan and Blue Nile in order to reach a comprehensive peace.

7+7 contacts neighbours

The coordinating committee for the national dialogue (the 7+7) welcomed the rebel movements’ decision for a cessation of hostilities with government forces and allied militias for six months on Sunday. It plans to visit to the governments of neighbouring countries and request them to convince unwilling parties in Sudan to join Al Bashir’s dialogue initiative.

Previously, the Sudanese President made clear statements that he will not tolerate any external resolution that seeks intervention in the national dialogue, pointing to the African Union and the United Nations.

After the meeting, the 7+7 committee urged all armed movements to speed-up signing the ceasefire agreement in order to immediately stop the fighting. The Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid (SLM-AW) is one of the rebel groups that refuses to sign a cessation of hostilities with the government. The government has declared a two-month ceasefire in Sudan.

Earlier this month, the US Special Envoy to the Sudans Donald Booth asked the Sudanese rebels to respond to the government’s declaration in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile, which the other parties to the Sudan Revolutionary Front did in the 14 September roadmap towards a comprehensive national dialogue.

The Political Secretary of the Popular Congress Party (PCP) and a member of the 7+7 committee, Kamal Omar Abdelsalam, said in a press statement on Sunday that the committee will intensify its contacts with the parties that reject the national dialogue, in order to convince them. This includes visiting a “number of regional neighbouring countries” to notify them about the developments of the dialogue, and to request their mediation to convince the unwilling armed movements and political parties including the Sudanese Congress Party to join the national dialogue in October.