Sudan Government Allied Parties Call on African Mediation to Resume Peace Talks

The opening session of the first roundtable on Sudan’s national dialogue in Khartoum on 6 April 2014 (SUNA)

March 20, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - The Council of the National Unity Government Parties (CNUGP) has called on the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to resume Sudan’s peace talks.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-N) rebels in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, also known as the Two Areas since 2011 and a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.

The AUHIP is brokering comprehensive peace talks to end the war and achieve democratic reforms. The two-track process comprises the Sudanese government and opposition forces including the armed groups in Darfur and the Two Areas.

In press statements on Wednesday, the secretary general of the CNUGP, Aboud Jaber, stressed the need to reach a permanent peace in order to achieve political, economic and social stability.

He pointed out that the government negotiating team headed by the Presidential Assistant Faisal Hassan Ibrahim is capable of overcoming all obstacles in light of the regional and international transformations that support peace and stability in Africa.

It is noteworthy that the CNUGP is a group of small political parties affiliated with the government of President Omer al-Bashir.

Large protests have been ongoing across Sudanese cities since 19 December. The demonstrations first began over fuel shortages and a hike in food prices but have now morphed into full-fledged protests calling for President al-Bashir to step down.

(ST)