Addis Ababa, 13 December 2018: On 25 September 2018, the AU High Level Implementation Panel for Sudan and South Sudan (AUHIP) wrote to the Signatories of the Roadmap Agreement proposing that the Agreement be revised to focus on the forthcoming constitution making process and the 2020 national elections.
The Signatories of the Roadmap Agreement are: the Government of Sudan, the National Umma Party, the Justice and Equality Movement, the Sudan Liberation Movement – Minni Minawi, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-North.
Having received their responses, the Panel then invited the Signatories to consultations in Addis Ababa, from 9 -12 December 2018 on the basis of its letter of 25 September 2018.
The Panel is pleased that all the Signatories honoured its invitation. While the Government of Sudan delegation was prepared to engage with the other Signatories, the SPLM-N wished to continue to have separate discussions with the Panel in preparation for negotiations with the Government.
However, the other Signatories insisted on the participation of non-signatories in the consultations, a position that contradicted the objectives of the meeting. As a result, the consultations could not be completed.
The Panel had hoped that the meeting would result in consensus on inclusive participation in the processes of adopting a new constitution, and the national elections scheduled for 2020 as called for in the Communiqué adopted by the AU Peace and Security Council on 22 November, 2018.
The Panel remains convinced that the challenges that have historically divided the Sudanese people should be resolved collectively by the Sudanese people themselves. The adoption of a new constitution and the holding of national elections represent a unique and timely opportunity for the Sudanese people to shape the destiny of their country.
Therefore, the Panel will continue to engage the Government, the armed movements and the various political formations, and will, as appropriate, convene the parties to continue their negotiations aimed at achieving a resolution of the conflicts in the Two Areas.
It will also engage the Government on the prospective constitution-making and national elections, with the objective of helping to ensure that those national processes are inclusive and produce outcomes that reflect the will of the people of Sudan and lead to the democratic transformation and stability of the country.
Ever since it started its work on Sudan nearly 10 years ago, the Panel has maintained that the challenges of Sudan, which have manifested in the various conflicts that the country has faced, must be addressed in a comprehensive and inclusive manner. Accordingly, it will continue to work with the full range of Sudanese political formations, seeking to resolve the critical challenges facing the country, in fulfilment of its mandate conferred by the African Union Peace and Security Council.
