Cross-purposes in Addis Ababa The dialogue in Addis Ababa between Khartoum and its armed opposition is in deadlock, as are the talks on the South Sudan crisis. The political dialogue between the government of Khartoum and the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebel movement has got off to a bad start, with both sides digging in their heels with incompatible positions. These talks began only a few days ago and this week were already postponed until next month. Khartoum, which is currently in the throes of a serious economic crisis, wants to block the hostilities and obtain a cease-fire wherever possible, i.e. in the Blue Nile region (where the forces led by the insurgent Malik Agar are not in a good military position) and where the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF, government army) more or less have control of the ground. With a deal like this under its belt, Khartoum would be able to concentrate its military forces on fighting guerrilla in Darfur, where Minni Minnawi and Abd-el-Wahid an-Nour refuse any form of compromise with the National Congress Party (NCP, ruling party in Khartoum) and also in South Kordofan, where Abd-el-Azziz al-Hilew has the best of the rebel combatant forces. But for this to happen, Khartoum’s negotiator Ibrahim Gandour must first manage to split the rebel factions that the head of the SRF delegation, Yasser Arman, currently has well under control. For Khartoum, these peace talks are part of a much larger strategy for the survival of the regime via promises for democratic reforms and gaining the support of Arab opposition parties. As far as the rebels are concerned, they are merely the first steps in reappraising the very existence of the current Sudanese regime. The South African mediator Thabo Mbeki is caught between these two positions and has threatened to lock the delegations in a seminar room of the Radisson Hotel where they are staying in the Kazantchis business district of Addis Ababa until they reach an agreement. In the end, he did not go through with his threat and the negotiations were merely postponed.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 14:26:11 +0000
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