Sudan's opposition says committed to dialogue to end war

Sudan's opposition on Tuesday reiterated commitment to dialogue and negotiations to end the war in Sudan, achieve sustainable peace and work to find political solutions to the country's crisis.

The Future Force of Change Alliance, which brings together around 41 Sudanese opposition parties, held a meeting with Sudan's Higher Coordination Committee of National Dialogue (7+7) through an initiative by the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP), headed by former South African President Thabo Mbeki.

"A constructive and fruitful consultation has been conducted on the current political situation in Sudan," Ahmed Abul-Ghasim, member of the alliance, told reporters following the meeting.

The two sides stressed the importance of continuing the consultation and reiterated commitment to dialogue as a means to end the war and achieve peace in Sudan, he noted.

Ahmed Bilal Osman, member of the 7+7 committee, said "definitely we are seeking to involve the opposition forces in the national dialogue conference. We are aware that they have reservations, and if we manage to remove those reservations, they can be part of the national dialogue."

In October 2015, the Sudanese government launched the national dialogue conference with the participation of a number of Sudanese political parties, civil society organizations and some Darfur armed groups.

However, major political parties and armed movements have refused to participate in the conference, including the Revolutionary Front Alliance, which brings together the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/ northern sector and the major Darfur armed movements.

The conference discusses six major issues: peace, identity, rights and freedoms, economy, external relations and governance.

In January 2014, Sudanese President Omar 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. Endit