Sudan’s ruling party is meeting over whether to honor or abrogate the stalled peace deal with South Sudan. A decision by the party leadership is expected imminently, according to an informed source in Khartoum.

Sessions of the Political Bureau and Shura Council were held Thursday and Friday at the National Congress Party (NCP) headquarters. President of the Republic Field Marshal Omar Hassan Al Bashir opened the event with the deputy party head Nafie Ali Nafie appearing at his right hand.

NCP Information Secretary Badr al-Din Ibrahim stressed that the leadership meeting was a regular session and did not have an emergency agenda, describing the event as preparation for the general party conference next November. But the meeting attracted the extraordinary participation of central political bureau members, governors and party heads from all 17 states.

Nafie Al Nafie, vice chairman of the party, explained in a press statement that the meeting discussed at length the economic situation and peace negotiations. He added that written policy positions will be approved through committees of the Shura Council.

A statement on the website of the NCP likewise confirmed that the Shura Council studied on Friday the economic situation, the situations in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, and the negotiations with Sudan Sudan.

Addressing the session on Friday, President Bashir accused South Sudan of reneging on implementation of the agreements, slammed foreign influences that sought to force solutions on the two countries, and dismissed talk of opening negotiations with the SPLM-North rebels. 

This comes after significant troop movements in recent weeks by both national armies, especially along the Unity/Kordofan and Upper Nile/Blue Nile frontiers.

Nonetheless, a strong trend has emerged over the past three days in support of implementation of the agreements with South Sudan, the source in Khartoum said. State news outlets have yet to announce a decision by the party but statements carried by SUNA on Saturday referred to several diplomatic commitments including the agreements signed in Addis Ababa and the African Union mediation’s ‘matrix’ agreed upon last month.

Members of the Political Bureau are expected to hold a crucial meeting tomorrow in which they will listen to a report from the president on the latest developments in the negotiations with South Sudan and the position of the party concerning the negotiations with SPLM-N rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

File photo: National Congress Party Vice Chairman Nafie Ali Nafie