CAIRO: A spectrum of Sudanese political and armed opposition groups put aside differences
to sign a unity agreement on Wednesday night that they hope will strengthen a group’s hand in talks with the regime in two days.
The government has categorically refused to deal with its
armed and unarmed adversaries at the same forum and the opposition has been unable to overcome
differences to present a unified front.
The signatories hope it will send a message to the government that
it must deal with the opposition as one, although some large parties
did not sign the agreement.
“Solving Sudan’s problems...
would not be possible without
(the opposition) reaching a unified
political platform,” said the statement,
which suggests the closest
coordination between the political
and armed groups since the secession
of South Sudan in 2011.
The major political groups
participating were the Islamist
Umma party and the National
Consensus Forces, an alliance of
mostly secular parties.
They were joined by a group
representing the armed movements
of three war-torn regions:
Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue
Nile and a group representing civil
society.
But despite the agreement, the
government broadly expects it will
not change the status quo and a
spokesman said “there would be a
price” to pay for cooperating with
the rebels.
The government is negotiating
with the Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement-North,
and the opposition hopes its
hand will be strengthened by the
agreement in negotiations set to
resume today.
When the south seceded, it took
with it both the oil wealth and the
biggest counterweight to the ruling
coalition in the Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement, which now
rules South Sudan.
Clashes have been reported for
the last several days in Sudan as
the SPLM-N negotiations with
the government are suspended.
REUTERS
