[ad_1]
A UN envoy said consultations with Sudanese civil society groups would begin on Monday.
The United Nations mission in Sudan said inquiries it would begin on Monday with the aim of launching direct negotiations to resolve the country’s political crisis after an October coup.
The military acquisition disrupted the transition to elections, where the army agreed to share power with civilian groups in a 2019 uprising following the overthrow of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir.
It also halted economic openness, in which Sudan began to emerge from decades of isolation and punishment. The crackdown on mass protests by security forces after the coup has left more than 60 civilians dead dead and many more wounded.
Initial talks, which will begin later on Monday, will lead to extensive individual consultations with a view to moving to a second phase of direct or indirect negotiations between the various actors, UN Special Representative Volker Perthes said at a press conference in Khartoum on Monday.
“We want to move fast … We will start this afternoon with the first civil society group. We will have a mix of the actors we are talking to every day, ”he said.
It would be difficult to set a deadline for the start of negotiations, Perthes added. “Time is precious, we know that. There is a lot of pressure in Sudan and in our situation. ”
Without a new path to transition and a path to credible elections, Sudan’s economic situation could worsen and instability could spread within and outside its borders, analysts and diplomats say.
“I hope these consultations will become something of a confidence-building measure and at least help reduce violence,” Perthes said.
The UN envoy said there had been no “obstacles” from the military. But the initial response from major civilian factions was lukewarm.
“We have not yet received any details about the UN initiative,” said Jaafar Hassan, a spokesman for the main faction of the Freedom and Change Forces, a major pro-democracy civilian group.
“We are ready to take part in the talks if the aim is to embark on a democratic transition and the abolition of the coup, but we are opposed if these talks are to legitimize the coup,” he told AFP. Monday.
The Sudanese Professional Association, another key civilian faction, said on Sunday it had completely ruled out UN-facilitated talks.
[ad_2]
Source link
