Two-month cease-fire with rebels could be extended: Sudanese official

A two-month comprehensive cease-fire with the rebels and armed groups, recently announced by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, could be extended if progress in the national dialogue is achieved, a Sudanese official said on Monday.

"The cease-fire, which has now entered into force, can be extended if the process of the national dialogue achieved progress," Mustafa Osman Ismail, member of the national dialogue mechanism on the part of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), told reporters.

"There are moves being made by mediator of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP) Thabo Mbeki in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa via consultations with some political forces rejecting the dialogue to persuade them to come on board," he noted.

He said the talks are ongoing with the consent of the president who patronizes the national dialogue program.

On Aug. 20, al-Bashir announced a comprehensive two-month cease-fire at all areas of conflict in Sudan in a move to encourage the armed groups to take part in the national dialogue.

In January, al-Bashir declared an initiative calling on the opposition parties and the armed groups to join a national dialogue to end the country's crises.

Al-Bashir's invitation found a relative acceptance from political forces but the process faced difficulties that slowed it down.

The armed movements in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions refused to join the dialogue, insisting that a parallel forum should be established under the supervision of the AUHIP. Endit