A group of stakeholders from various backgrounds in Sudan’s Blue and South Kordofan states says they should be involved in the upcoming negotiations between the Khartoum government and SPLA-North rebels scheduled to take place on Wednesday in Ethiopia.
The committee of ‘stakeholders’ is close to the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).
In a regular forum organzed by Akhbar Al Youm newspaper on Saturday, Abakar Ruffae, the head of the mechanism said that they petitioned the presidency to demand the mechanism’s participation in the upcoming peace negotiations.
Ruffae pointed out that about 250 members including professors and experts in various fields from the Two Areas should be involved in the peace talks. Komundan Joda, the deputy head of the mechanism said their committee aims to assist the warring parties to reach a sustainable peace.
He claimed that they are able to represent citizens of the Two Areas, while pointing to the suffering of citizens in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions due to the ongoing war.
Separately, the Popular Congress Party (PCP) in Blue Nile State has criticized the ongoing National Dialogue process in the State. In a statement seen by Radio Tamazuj, the PCP stated that the National Dialogue was not going on well in the state in spite of assurances provided by the national government to all political parties and armed movements in Khartoum.
The state governor has excluded leading opposition parties including the Popular Congress Party, according to the statement.
The opposition party claimed that the state governor invited the political parties which are sharing power with the NCP-led government only. The party commented that the dialogue failed to fulfil the desired national consensus and unanimity.