Upcoming AUHIP, Sudan Call meeting on peace roadmap

The African Union High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) headed by Thabo Mbeki prepares a meeting with the Sudan Call alliance in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in the second week of December.

The Sudan Call, an alliance of Sudanese opposition parties and armed movements, is chaired by El Sadig El Mahdi, leader of the National Umma Party. The alliance held a meeting with the AUHP in Berlin earlier this month to discuss possible amendments to the roadmap for peace negotiations.

The meeting focused on discussions regarding amendments to the roadmap for peace. The roadmap was presented to the warring parties in March 2016 by Mbeki and regards the accords to be agreed on for negotiations on the armed conflicts in Darfur, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan, and on opposition parties to participate in the National Dialogue.

El Mahdi told Radio Dabanga yesterday that peace “is a national and international demand and necessary for economic reform”. “There is no way for economic reform unless peace is achieved to reduce the money spent on defence and security and create an attractive climate for investments.”

El Mahdi declared that the concerned parties are “now ready for serious dialogue to achieve peace”. He said that Khartoum must declare its seriousness as well.

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, El Mahdi, who has spent several months in self-imposed exile in Cairo, Europe, and the UK, faces arrest should he return to Sudan as planned.

So far the Sudan Appeal has continued to refuse to participate in a constitutional and political process. ‘The constitutional process and elections cannot take place under the prevailing atmosphere’, according to the Sudan Call, but its delegation was ready to discuss with the AUHIP on how to make a push for the political process.

In his letter to the Sudan Call in September, Mbeki proposed to amend the roadmap in such a way that it allows to move directly to the constitutional process with the parties. Also, he proposed that the opposition should participate in the general elections scheduled in 2020.

Amendments to peace deal

Meanwhile, the lead negotiator of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Ahmed Tugud, said that the head of the African Union commission will present the AU proposal on amendments to the Doha Document for Peace to the government delegation next week.

On Friday, both the JEM as the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minawi (SLM-MM) signed an initial pre-negotiation agreement draft after an amendment was made to remove the words ‘Darfur’ and ‘Sudan’ from the Doha Document for Peace. The peace agreement was first signed between Khartoum and rebel parties – excluding the JEM and SLM-MM – in 2011.

Tugud said he expects the parties to reach a pre-negotiation agreement in the first week of December if the government approved the African Union’s proposal, too.

Dr Amin Omer, who is the chief negotiator of the Darfur peace file, has confirmed the readiness of the government to resume negotiations with the Darfur movements.

Omer did not rule out launching a new round of negotiations as soon as possible in the Qatari capital, after their consultations in Doha with the Qatari mediation.

Khartoum received the invitation for consultations in Doha on November 13, to consult on the resumption of negotiations with the armed movements.