The African Union has announced that it has extended invitations to the Sudanese government and armed movements for resumption of talks on cessation of hostilities in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile States. The talks are scheduled for 18 November.

Mahmud Khan, who heads the AU Liaison Office in Khartoum, said in a press statement that the AU mediation has officially invited all warring parties for a meeting on the cessation of hostilities scheduled to take place from 18 until 19 November. He pointed out that a preparatory meeting was postponed until the Sudan Appeal Force meetings are concluded in Paris.

Meanwhile, Yasser Arman, Secretary General of the SPLM-N and chief negotiator at the talks, confirmed they received an invitation for the talks. He said their delegation will participate positively in the upcoming round of negotiations. He further said the talks will focus on the cessation of hostilities for humanitarian purposes. Arman reiterated their position to reject any partial solution.

Sudan’s Minister of Information Ahmed Bilal Osman and member of the 7+7 committee told Radio Tamazuj that the government is ready to negotiate with the armed movements to discuss outstanding issues of the Naivasha Agreement and the Doha Agreement and that it may lead to declaration of a permanent ceasefire between the warring parties.

Brigadier Yasir Ja’afar Sanhouri, one of the seven senior SPLA-North officers removed from active service and designated retired in early August, said that any security agreement signed by the acting SPLA-North leadership with the Khartoum government without consulting SPLA forces at the grassroots level would not serve the objectives of the rebel movement and the New Sudan vision.

The senior retired general pointed out that any agreement of this kind will never lead to a lasting peace.

For his part, Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh, a political analyst in Khartoum, questioned the ability of the AU mediation to achieve peace, saying the current mediation has already failed before. He also pointed out that there are outstanding issues within the government itself and within the opposition with regard to the National Dialogue, preparatory meeting, the Paris meeting and differences within the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF).

The Sudanese writer and observer stressed the need to find alternative means to achieve the desired success in the peace process.