Aljazeera.net correspondents
Khartoum- Launched in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa Today, Friday, the second round of the preparatory meeting for the Sudanese Dialogue Conference, which is organized by African UnionObservers expect the production of a vision different from the document issued by forces close to the army in the first round, which reinforces the division in the political scene.
The Addis Ababa meetings, which the media was banned from attending, will continue for 3 days, with the participation of the “Progress” Coordination Alliance, the “Sudan People's Movement – North” led by Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu, the “Sudan Liberation Movement” led by Abdel Wahid Mohamed Nour, and the Arab Socialist Baath Party in Sudan.
The meetings are expected to answer six questions raised by the African High-Level Mechanism on Sudan, headed by Mohamed Ibn Chambas, including the venue of the Sudanese Dialogue Conference, its date, the participating parties, its agenda and funding, and the mechanisms for implementing its decisions.
A preparatory conference for the Sudanese forces had previously concluded in the Ethiopian capital, during the period from 10 to 15 July, in which more than 20 blocs, parties, civil and youth groups participated, most notably the “Forces of Freedom and Change – Democratic Bloc” headed by Jaafar al-Mirghani, the National Movement Bloc headed by al-Tijani al-Sisi, and the National Consensus Bloc headed by Mubarak al-Fadil al-Mahdi, where the majority of participants support Sudanese army.
The preparatory conference was boycotted by the “Progress” coalition, headed by Abdullah HamdokBecause of the participation of forces that were considered fronts for the ousted president's regime. Omar al-Bashir…and not being consulted on the conference agenda and the lack of transparency, while “Progress” is accused by its opponents of getting closer to Rapid Support Forces.
Post-war vision
The official spokesman for the “Progress” Coordination, Bakri Al-Jak, said that the Addis Ababa meetings come within the framework of launching a political process that establishes a post-war reality, in conjunction with the ceasefire talks.
He explained in a press statement that the forces participating in the meetings – despite the differences that may exist between them – “remain the forces that carry a different vision for the future of the country, based on equal citizenship and good management of diversity, through a national development project in which most Sudanese see themselves.”
Al-Jak also pointed out that the aim of the meetings is to develop a “common vision” that paves the way for perceptions about the agenda and parties to the political process, “to correct the wrong start that accompanied the African Union meeting last July, which included a group most of whom support the vision of war and de facto authority, and hold perceptions that work to legitimize the war and its continuation,” as he put it.
For its part, sources in the African mechanism concerned with Sudan – who requested anonymity – revealed that the new round of the preparatory meeting is expected to produce a final statement and a document containing the vision of the participating forces regarding the Sudanese Dialogue Conference, which defines post-war issues.
These sources, speaking to Al Jazeera Net, expect that the differences between the document of this meeting and the first preparatory meeting hosted by the African Union will not be significant, and it is possible that the head of the mechanism, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, will play a role in bridging the gaps between the two documents, to establish a single vision for the Sudanese parties that will establish the new political phase.
Compatibility or isolation
The Director of Peace and Human Rights in Sudan, Dr. Abu Al-Qasim Qor, believes that the “Progress” coalition adopts an exclusionary vision, which is why it boycotted the first round of dialogue, and that it wants to monopolize the formation of the political scene, while there are contradictions between its components, and it has also lost the living forces that represent the revolution, such as the “Resistance Committees” and other active political forces.
According to the expert in peace studies, who spoke to Al Jazeera Net, the other forces opposing the “Progress” coalition have become a critical mass, and he does not rule out the coalition making concessions to reach an agreement with them to reach a unified political vision. If it refuses to do so, it will find itself isolated, even if external forces support it.
As for political researcher Ibrahim Ali Youssef, he believes that the disagreement between the positions of the political forces loyal to the army and those opposed to it is not fundamental, but rather they are competing to shape the political scene, and all of them are seeking to monopolize power in the post-war phase.
In his interview with Al Jazeera Net, the researcher considered that the “Progress” coalition refused to participate in the first round because the number of participating blocs and forces is greater than its number, and therefore it can pass its positions and impose its vision. He believes that if all parties do not make mutual concessions, the state of polarization and political division will continue.
The first round of the preparatory meeting approved a vision calling for holding a Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue inside the country, after reaching a ceasefire and conducting the necessary consultations with the African Union.
The meeting approved launching the dialogue process in 3 stages, including determining the constitutional references, the form of government and institutions, determining the tasks and powers of the transitional government, in addition to agreeing on the period of government and its powers.
The proposals stipulated that the dialogue should be comprehensive and Sudanese, excluding no one, except in the event that judgments have been issued against him under the law under penalty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of gross violations of human rights and genocide, or under the constitutional document.
Observers interpreted this paragraph as implicitly implying isolation. National Congress Party The former ruling party, led by Omar al-Bashir, as the committee to dismantle the former regime that dissolved the party and confiscated its assets relied on the document.
