The Tripartite Mechanism, which facilitates dialogue between Sudanese parties, pledged on Monday to continue engaging with non-signatories of the political framework agreement and encourage them to join efforts to reach a final political deal leading to the formation of a transitional civilian government in the country.
In a statement on Monday, the Mechanism, consisting of the African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and United Nations, welcomed the parties’ agreement on a roadmap and timetable for drafting the final political agreement and the formation of a civilian government in April.
A meeting was held on Sunday at the Republican Palace between military leaders, the Forces for Freedom and Change and other parties and facilitated by the Tripartite Mechanism.
Officials agreed on the final dates for the political process, starting with the signing of the final agreement on April 1, the signing of the constitution on April 6, and formation of the institutions of the transitional authority on April 11.
The Mechanism said parties agreed to form committees to finalize the drafting of a final political agreement and preparations to finalize a draft transitional constitution with all relevant stakeholders. Participants also agreed to continue engaging with non-signatories and encourage them to join efforts to reach a final political agreement and will continue its efforts to this end.
The Mechanism said it hopes the Sudanese parties will reach during the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, a final agreement on solutions to pave the way for the formation of a civilian-led government and end Sudan’s current crisis. Ramadan is set to begin this week.
Currently, the parties to the framework agreement will nominate their representatives to the committees to begin drafting the final agreement.
The Mechanism had invited leader of the Sudanese Justice and Equality Movement, Jibril Ibrahim, the leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-MM), Minni Arko Minnawi, and members of the original Democratic Unionist Party, which all operate under the "Democratic Bloc", to participate in the meeting. But, they refused to attend.
Bloc spokesperson Moataz Al-Fahal said in a press conference Monday that the group had made many concessions to reach a political declaration with Forces of Freedom and Change Central Council (FFC-CC), despite its reservations, because it was keen on resolving the crisis.
Al-Fahal charged that the invitation that was extended to them to attend the meeting with the military and FFC forces aims to break up the unity of their bloc.
