Sudan gov't says not to negotiate with opposition

The Sudanese government on Saturday said it would not negotiate with opposition forces, whether civilian or military, after end of the national dialogue conference, according to a senior Sudanese official.

"Despite the government's attempts to reach permanent peace and achieve security and stability, the opposition forces, which are driven by foreign agenda, are not serious in their endeavors to reach the aspired peace," said Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid, Sudanese Presidential Assistant, when addressing a meeting for the parties' affairs council Saturday.

He noted the opposition forces stick to weak excuses and repeatedly work to abort the negotiations despite the concessions presented by the government during the negotiation rounds to reach peace.

"No party is allowed to reach power by force of arms, save for through the ballot boxes," he added.

In January 2014, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir launched the national dialogue conference which started in October 2015 and concluded in February 2016 with its recommendations to be approved by a general assembly, slated for next October.

Major Sudanese political parties such as the opposition National Umma Party refused to participate in the conference.

The armed groups in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions also refused to participate in the conference.

The opposition insisted that based on the decisions by the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council, a conference should be held to bring together all the Sudanese political forces to initiate an equitable dialogue with the government, a demand that the Sudanese government rejected.

The most recent round of talks between the government and the opposition ended last August in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa without reaching a peace deal. Endit