Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi, leader of Sudan’s opposition National Umma Party (NUP), said on Wednesday the “Sudan Appeal” opposition coalition will likely sign the African Union peace roadmap agreement after a meeting to be held in Addis Ababa in the coming days.
The Sudanese politician, speaking at an Eid al-Fitr sermon in Cairo Wednesday, said an exchange of messages between him and AU High Implementation Panel leader Thabo Mbeki did not indicate there had been a deadlock on the roadmap.
Al Mahdi said Mbeki sent him a second letter on 23 June including proposals to deal positively with the proposed roadmap.
“If we agreed to Mbeki’s proposals, this would make us sign the roadmap and hence pave the road for the dialogue which is, no matter how different it has been labeled, in fact a response to the African Union Peace and Security Council resolution 534,” al Mahdi said.
The self-exiled opposition leader said a preparatory meeting would decide on the needed confidence-building measures, including declaring a ceasefire, allowing humanitarian access to needy populations, exchanging prisoners of war, releasing political detainees and prisoners, and approving an agenda for the dialogue to be held inside Sudan.
Last March, the AUHIP proposed a roadmap agreement to the Sudanese government and some opposition groups including the NUP, SPLA-North, Justice and Equality Movement, and Sudan Liberation Movement – Minni Minnawi.
However, only the Khartoum government signed the framework text, while the four opposition groups rejected it, but offered to sign it with inclusion of a supplemental document including additional demands.
The Sudanese government refused the supplemental text.