South Sudanese women and children queue to receive emergency food at the United Nations protection of civilians (POC) site 3 hosting about 30,000 people displaced during the recent fighting in Juba, South Sudan July 25, 2016.
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Ahmed Bilal Osman, spokesman of Sudan’s Higher Coordination Committee of the National Dialogue (7+7 mechanism), meanwhile, was quoted by Ashorooq net as saying that “Sudan Call forces’ signing of the road-map in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa will open the door widely for reaching a national vision agreed upon by all parties”. The fighting in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan has sucked a lot of resources from the economy and also hindered progress on debt relief, experts say. Government officials claim the Darfur conflict has ended, but analysts claim rebel groups have tried to gain the upper hand there since 2003.
Last March, the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP) proposed a roadmap agreement for the Sudanese rivals, stipulating arrangements related to cease-fire at South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur regions, entering a peace process and involving the armed movements in the national dialogue now convened in Khartoum.
With regard to the Sudanese National Dialogue, the Chairperson encourages the Parties to take the necessary measures to achieve a genuinely inclusive dialogue that includes key opposition political parties, armed movements and other Sudanese interlocutors. At least 130,000 people have fled fighting in the central Jebel Marra area of Darfur since mid-January alone.
Optimism prevails the Sudanese political circles few hours before the opposition Sudan Call signs a road-map deal proposed by the African Union (AU) mediation last March. She reiterates the significance of the Dialogue as a process that will lead to the adoption of a new national constitution which will address Sudan’s multiple challenges and thereby ensure stability and sustained prosperity for Sudan.
The representatives of the Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States), Germany, and the European Union welcome the signing of the Roadmap Agreement by the Justice and Equality Movement, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Minni Minnawi, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, and the National Umma Party.
“The signing of the roadmap is a positive step, but the more complex stage will come with talks revolving around a ceasefire and a political solution”, said Bilal.
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“We welcome the opposition signing of the roadmap and today the government begins to engage in negotiations with armed rebels over a ceasefire.We are optimistic”.
