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Sudan's Mahdi: We Are Ready to Hold Dialogue with Government

Head of the National Umma Party (NUP) and president of Nidaa Sudan Sadiq al-Mahdi. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic
Head of the National Umma Party (NUP) and president of Nidaa Sudan Sadiq al-Mahdi. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic
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Sudan's Mahdi: We Are Ready to Hold Dialogue with Government

Head of the National Umma Party (NUP) and president of Nidaa Sudan Sadiq al-Mahdi. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic
Head of the National Umma Party (NUP) and president of Nidaa Sudan Sadiq al-Mahdi. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic

The head of the National Umma Party (NUP) and president of Nidaa Sudan, Sadiq al-Mahdi, confirmed the readiness of the coalition to hold dialogue with the government of President Omar al-Bashir.

Mahdi told Asharq Al-Awsat that dialogue with the government "is taking place through the African mechanism," describing the unification of the opposition as "utopian".

Mahdi said there were several conditions to coordinate with opposition forces, such as rejecting any quest to oust the regime by force, sidestepping demands of self-determination, avoiding seeking support from Israel, or standing against the opposition.

Asking Mahdi whether he thinks the government will arrest him once he goes back to the country, he said that "the government has gotten used to dealing with us inconsistently... It offered us participatation in the highest levels and highest ratios, but we rejected any participation that is not based on just and comprehensive peace and democratic transformation.

Now the government has issued six notices against me, Mahdi added.

The newspaper said that the power balance is now in favor of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir while the opposition is inactive, however, Mahdi questioned the standards of the balance of power denouncing the fact that the regime, and after 30 years, has failed in all fields and is now on the verge of an economic bankruptcy.

Responding to the newspaper’s question whether there is an initiative to unite the opposition forces, he stressed that such an aspiration is far from reality but the bulk part of the opposition is Nidaa Sudan and it is coherent.

Speaking about the reconciliation with president Gaafar al-Nimeiry (1969, 1985) mid-seventies and the current agreements with Bashir not to mention the criticism for dealing with the military systems, Mahdi said that only illusionists refused dialogue with the systems. He stressed that the national strugglers held a dialogue with the foreign occupation countries from which transformation to independence resulted.

Asking how he viewed the future of Sudan amid the internally, regionally and internationally complex conditions, Mahdi said that the Sudanese human capital is perfect as well as the natural resources. Mahdi continued that the political forces agree on two significant matters: steadiness and forgiveness that make the ideologists more lenient than others outside Sudan. These components can achieve an agreement similar to the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) or a peaceful revolution such as October revolution 1964, he added.

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FAO Official: Gulf States Shielded Themselves from Major Shocks

David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
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FAO Official: Gulf States Shielded Themselves from Major Shocks

David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told Asharq al-Awsat that global hunger increased sharply during the coronavirus pandemic, noting that the GCC countries were able to shield themselves from major shocks affecting food security.
Laborde added that global hunger affected over 152 million people, with no improvement in the past two years.
Today, 733 million people suffer from chronic hunger, and 2.3 billion face food insecurity, according to the UN annual report on “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.”

Laborde explained that the global economic crisis has worsened food insecurity, keeping hunger levels high.
Alongside this, climate shocks and conflicts are major causes of hunger. He also pointed out that food insecurity is closely tied to inequality, and the economic crisis, rising living costs, and high interest rates are deepening existing inequalities both within and between countries.
On whether economic diversification in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is boosting food security, Laborde said: “A move towards a more diversified economy and enhancing the ability to rely on various sources of food supplies are key drivers of food security resilience and stability.”
“GCC countries have managed to shield themselves from major shocks, primarily due to their high income levels and ability to cover import costs without difficulty,” he explained.
Regarding the FAO’s outlook on reducing global hunger, Laborde insisted that ending hunger will require a significant increase in funding.
When asked for suggestions on how governments could enhance food security, Laborde said: “Despite global figures remaining stable, improvements are seen in Asia and Latin America, showing that the right policies and conditions can reduce numbers.”
“Hunger is not inevitable. Investing in social safety nets to protect the poor, along with making structural changes to food systems to be more environmentally friendly, resilient, and equitable, is the right path forward,” emphasized Laborde.
The annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, published on Wednesday, said about 733 million people faced hunger in 2023 – one in 11 people globally and one in five in Africa.
Hunger and food insecurity present critical challenges affecting millions globally.
The annual report, released this year during the G20 Global Alliance for Hunger and Poverty Task Force ministerial meeting in Brazil, warns that the world is significantly lagging in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2—ending hunger by 2030.
It highlights that global progress has regressed by 15 years, with malnutrition levels comparable to those seen in 2008-2009.
Despite some progress in areas like stunting and exclusive breastfeeding, a troubling number of people still face food insecurity and malnutrition, with global hunger levels rising.