Trilateral Mechanism and Sudan Bar talks to break political impasse underway

The trilateral mechanism of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), African Union (AU), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), began chairing talks with the Sudanese Bar Association's (SBA) steering committee on Thursday, in an effort to implement their transitional constitutional framework.

According to the groups aiming to broker the transitional talks, the military have expressed that they “do not want unelected civilian representatives and stakeholders interfering in the affairs of the army during the transitional period”.

The trilateral mechanism reportedly called on the military to present a united front in supporting the support the draft constitution, adding that fundamental issues such as transitional justice “needs to be addressed”.

Concerning the potential elections following a successful transition brokerage, UNITAMS-AU-IGAD stated that political parties and politicians should start preparing for elections, if they would like an “entry point for participation in the government”.

The trilateral mechanism called on people to support the SBA constitution talks and accept the terms of the military during the transitional phase.

‘Committee impersonators’

Khartoum resistance committee coordinators confirmed that they were not part of the meeting that the trilateral mechanism said they held with resistance committees on Thursday.

According to the Khartoum committees, none of the coordinators authorised anyone to the attend talks, “let alone act on their behalf”.

In a statement by the coordination committees, they sated that all liaison officers to the resistance representatives in Khartoum are known to all “UN bodies, diplomatic missions, and representatives”, as a number of invitations have been sent previously.

The committees maintained their position in rejecting any political settlement with the junta, adding that the “current political impasse can only end with the overthrow of the military”.