Negotiations are taking place in Sudan in the hopes of ending months of political turmoil. The main pro-democracy coalition is refusing to take part. The coalition known as the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) agreed to “unofficially” meet.
KHARTOUM June 10: Negotiations are taking place in Sudan in the hopes of ending months of political turmoil. But the talks hit a stumbling block before they even began.
The main pro-democracy coalition is refusing to take part. It says the army must stop arresting people who’ve been demonstrating against the military takeover in October. The UN has urged Sudanese people to unite.
So what can the discussions achieve?
Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom
Guests:
Mubarak Ardol – Democratic Alliance for Social Justice
Jonas Horner – Researcher and former Deputy Director for Horn of Africa, International Crisis Group
Hajooj Kuka – Member, Girifna
The coalition known as the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) agreed to “unofficially” meet with the military to “discuss means of ending the 25th of October coup and handing Power over to civilian coalitions”, Sudan’s Congress party announced in a statement on Thursday.
The UN, African Union and regional bloc IGAD have since March been pushing for Sudanese-led talks to break the political stalemate. “It is important to not let this moment slip,” United Nations special representative Volker Perthes told reporters in Khartoum. “We are asking everybody to work with one another in good faith.”
On Tuesday, a-Burhan praised these talks as a “historic opportunity” and called on political fractions “to not stand as a stumbling block.”
