In its second week, since launched by SRSG Volker Perthes on 8 January, UN-facilitated consultations on a political process for Sudan continued engaging with Sudanese stakeholders. Due to ongoing roadblocks and the closure of bridges, making access to UNITAMS a challenge, some consultations planned for this week had to be rescheduled. Consultations were held with representatives from the Women’s Agenda; the National Umma Party; the Sudan Liberation Army-Transitional Council (SLA-TC), the Democratic Unionist Party and the FFC Central Committee.
During these consultations’ participants offered concrete suggestions on the way forward for transition and presented views regarding the scope and parameters of the consultations process, including ways of enhancing international support. Significant parts of the discussions tackled immediate priority issues, including ending the violence, and addressed the root causes of the current crisis.
This coming week, UNITAMS will continue to meet with political parties, Darfur resistance committees and civil society groups, including women’s groups, families of martyrs of recent protests, representatives of the Professional Associations and signatory groups to the Juba Peace Agreement. The military and security forces will also be included as part of the consultations this week. UNITAMS will continue to broaden the scope of consultations and engage groups in all states of Sudan in order to ensure that the process is a truly Sudanese-owned one, and calling for the meaningful participation of women. Further consultation will continue with representatives of the full range of Sudanese political and civil society spectrum in the upcoming weeks.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).
