Troika Specials Envoys calls on rebels to rejoin peace talks
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - Leading European countries, the United States and the United Nations on Sunday confirmed they have sent a strong message calling on a rebel splinter group to sit down for peace talks with Khartoum at a time the Europeans are rallying support for Khartoum.
The three western states, the United Kingdom, Norway and the United States, collectively known as the Troika group, along with representative of the UN Secretary General to the Sudan, paid a field visit to the leader of the Sudan People’s liberation Army/Movement, Abdul Aziz Hilo, telling him that he should joins the peace process now.
In a terse press release, the three nations and the UN said their envoys meet Hilo in Kauda, together with a Special Representative of the Secretary General to Sudan, Volker Perthes.
Kauda is the capital city of the rebel movement, the SPLAM, situated deep inside the mountainuous area of South Kordufan, over 700 kms south west of Khartoum.
“To succeed, Sudan’s transition needs all its people. We applaud the efforts of the Government of Sudan and the SPLM-N/al-Hilo to reach a peace agreement,” the statement said.
Last month, the government and the rebel movement met in Juba, South Sudan, for three weeks, but could not reach an agreement as the SPLM is reportedly said to be calling for an entirely secular state, that tolerates no religious commitments or doctrines.
At one point, it was leaked that they called for doing away with Sunday and Fridays as holidays for either Christians or Muslims.
Though the current government came into existence after kicking out a totalitarian Islamist government, it was not conceivable that the new government would ignore that over 95% of the Sudanese are Muslims following the secession of South Sudan.
“We were extremely encouraged by both parties signing up to the Declaration of Principles on 28 March which shows that it’s possible to move forward on important issues like separation of state and religion," the troika statement said.
The said declaration of principle had conceded that the new Sudan should be secular but it stopped short of saying it would be anti-islam.
But the Hilo group wanted to bend the situation to the extreme which would mean total failure of the talks at any time the two parties failed to make courageous concessions.
“We encouraged the SPLM-N National Liberation Council to build on this success, join the New Sudan and help bring about lasting peace," the Troika stressed.
-0- PANA MO/VAO 4July2021
