Talks aiming to end Sudan’s ongoing political deadlock have begun. It is important not to let this opportunity slip out of our hands, says Volker Perthes. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan calls the talks a “historic occasion”.
KHARTOUM June 9: Talks aiming to end Sudan’s ongoing political deadlock have begun, the United Nations said, although the country’s main pro-democracy alliance is boycotting them over a continued police crackdown on those protesting against last October’s military coup.
The joint peace effort, which started Wednesday, is brokered by the UN political mission in Sudan, the African Union, and the eight-nation east African group Intergovernmental Authority in Development (IGAD).
The effort aims to bring the generals and an array of political and protest groups to the negotiating table.
The military’s takeover upended Sudan’s short-lived fragile democratic transition and plunged the East African nation into turmoil.
– It is important not to let this opportunity slip out of our hands. We ask everyone to cooperate in good faith, says UN Special Envoy Volker Perthes.
On May 29, Sudan’s coup leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan repealed the country’s emergency laws. Now he calls the talks a “historic occasion” and asks political groups to stop. But starting the conversation by murdering and oppressing the people is generally not a good tactic. It does not, so to speak, facilitate the conversational climate.
The military has announced that power will be transferred to a new government after an election scheduled for July 2023. However, history has shown that it usually does not go so well when the military is to hand over power to civilians.
After all. Everything eventually comes down to a single question:
Can you trust al-Burhan?
