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The Central Council of the Forces for Freedom and Change decided to accept the invitation of the United Nations Mission to Support the Political Transition in Sudan, amid unremitting regional and international efforts to resolve the Sudanese crisis.
Jaafar Hassan, a spokesman for the Central Council for Freedom and Change, said – in a press statement after the council meeting – that the council decided to accept the invitation of the United Nations mission (UNITAMS) to support dialogue between the parties to the Sudanese crisis.
Hassan said that a delegation from the council will meet today, Sunday, with the UNITAMS mission to deliver the coalition’s vision regarding the mission’s initiative for dialogue between the Sudanese parties.
The Central Council of the Forces of Freedom and Change had stipulated, earlier, an end to what it called a state of coup, an end to violations, and the lifting of the state of emergency, as he put it.
African efforts
Meanwhile, the African Union’s envoy, Edewe Bankole, began to hold consultations with the political forces in Khartoum, where he met the Freedom and Change Group of the National Charter.
The African envoy said during the meeting that he came to listen to the point of view of all Sudanese in order to find solutions to this crisis.
Bankoli pointed out that the African Union is not ignorant of these Sudanese problems, including justice and refugee issues.
Bankoli stressed that the African Union does not tolerate violence and the future of Sudan is the future of the region.
The African Union announced its readiness to support the political consensus among all political parties in Sudan, when the President of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, received the delegation of the African Union, where he received a message from the Chairperson of the African Union Commission regarding the Union’s vision towards the situation in Sudan.
He also called on the African Commissioner to renounce violence and give priority to the national interest, pointing out that this requires the strong will of all stakeholders.
For its part, Juba announced yesterday, Saturday, its readiness to contribute to international efforts to resolve the Sudanese crisis, in consultation with the “UNITAMS” mission.
This came when the envoy of the President of the State of South Sudan, Adviser to Presidential Affairs, Costello Garang, a member of the UN mission Stephanie Khoury, met in the capital, Khartoum, according to the official news agency (SUNA).
Garang said that his visit to the headquarters of the UN mission in Khartoum was commissioned by President Salva Kiir, to learn about the developments in the political transition in Sudan and to present the expected contribution from the State of South Sudan.
He explained that the consultations do not concern the United Nations and external powers alone, but rather cooperate with all Sudanese parties to know their views so that the results of the consultations are purely Sudanese.
American support
In a related context, the US State Department announced, in a statement Friday, that a US delegation led by Molly – Assistant Secretary of State – and US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa David Satterfield will visit Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Ethiopia between January 17-20.
The US delegation will attend the Friends of Sudan meeting in Riyadh, to mobilize international support for the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission. After that, the delegation will head to Khartoum, where it will meet with military leaders, activists and political figures, according to the statement.
The State Department statement stressed that “the delegation’s message will be clear that Washington is committed to freedom, peace and justice for the Sudanese people.”
Since last October 25, the Sudanese have taken to the streets to protest against exceptional measures, most notably the imposition of a state of emergency, the dissolution of the Sovereignty Councils and the transitional ministers, the dismissal of Prime Minister Hamdok, and the arrest of officials and politicians.
The security forces responded to these protests, resulting in 64 deaths and hundreds of injuries so far, according to the Central Doctors Committee (an independent union) that supports the demonstrators.
On November 21, the head of the Sovereign Council and the outgoing Prime Minister, Abdullah Hamdouk, signed a political agreement, which included the return of Hamdok to the presidency of the transitional government, the formation of a government of competencies, and the release of political detainees.
However, on January 2, Hamdok resigned from his position, hours after 3 people were killed during demonstrations in the country, in which the participants expressed their rejection of Hamdok’s agreement with Al-Burhan, and demanded full civilian rule.