The allied opposition parties National Consensus Forces (NCF) have renewed criticism of Sudan’s National Dialogue process, distancing themselves from a statement by the chairman of National Umma Party (NUP) al Sadig al Mahdi, who said that the provisional outcomes of the process are consistent with NCF positions.
Al Mahdi’s statement Monday appeared to seek to bridge the gap between the National Dialogue draft outcomes and the opposition calls for reform.
He made this statement two days after reportedly presenting a proposal to the chairman of the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Thabo Mbeki for finding an alternative to the current National Dialogue.
The National Consensus Forces have welcomed al Mahdi’s initiative to find an alternative to the ongoing national dialogue, but reject any recognition of its outcomes.
Abu Bakr Yusuf, NCF spokesman, said they strongly reject the outcomes of the National Dialogue. Yusuf, who is also the secretary of political affairs in the Sudanese Conference Party (SCP) said they consider the statement of al Mahdi as incompatibile with the general orientation of the opposition coalition.
“The issue of the national dialogue and its outcomes we are not meant with it as opposition parties at all. We did not have a look at it or study it,” said Yusuf. “The opposition party did not participate in this dialogue. Any statement about the outcomes of the dialogue will not lead to agreement to all political forces in the national consensus.”