Sudan peace talks kick off with parties showing optimism
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA ) - Peace talks between the government of the Sudan and the main rebel Sudan People’s liberation movement started in Juba, capital of South Sudan, with the government sending the largest delegation ever to attend the opening session on Wednesday.
In March this year, the two sides signed a declaration of principles that set the road for the talks. Almost all rebel movements with the exception of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, the Abdul-Aziz Al-Hilo faction (SPLM/A-N), and the Darfur’s Sudan liberation Movement of Abdul, led by Wahid Mohamed Nor, are part of a deal that was concluded two years ago in South Sudan.
Hilo and Nor said they have special clauses that have to be met before reaching such a deal with the new government that took over after Bashir demise in 2019.
Hilo has been calling for a secular state while Nor says he wants to see a constitution that says how the country is governed not who governs the country.
On Wednesday, the Sudanese prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, said their meeting in Juba “represents a dialogue between the citizens of one nation and a message to the world that the Sudanese people are capable of solving their own differences” after eruption of the great revolution.
"The search for peace has remained our priority, and reaching it is a must," Hamdok said, adding that reaching peace is one of “the demands of the revolution”.
Lt.-Gen. Abul Fatah Burhan, the head of the Sovereign Council or the collective presidency, also flew to Juba where he told the gathering that his government will implement the agreement to be reached in the Juba peace talks, saying "our heart is open and we are determined to accomplish Sudan’s peace which we have launched previously.”
The General made it clear that the government would stick to dialogue until it reaches to satisfactory agreement that meets aspirations of the people of Sudan and sets the ground for a Sudan in which “all will enjoy the same rights and duties, one Sudan that does not discriminate against people on bases of religion or colour.”
He appealed to Nor to join the process as “there is now a new Sudan”
Mr. Volker Perthes, the Special Representative for Sudan and the Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), told the opening session of the peace negotiations that “peacemaking is often harder than the alternative. But you have decided to make the first step today and we, the United Nations and the international community, are happy to accompany you along the way to peace.”
The official said UNITAMS, in collaboration with other partners and its South Sudanese hosts and mediators, is committed to facilitating and supporting the peace process in line with "our mandate".
“But it’s not only about facilitation. UNITAMS and the entire United Nations family will also assist in the implementation of an agreement once it is reached. Aside from political aspects, any agreement will need to address local peace building, humanitarian and development needs, as well as security arrangements and challenges. The UN is ready to support in all these aspects," the UN official stressed.
The leader of the rebel group, Hilo, said the fact that his movement has returned to the negotiating table with the government in Khartoum is in itself “a sign of our desire to reach durable peace in Sudan”.
-0- PANA MO/VAO 26May2021
