By Kitab Unango
The ongoing peace negotiations between the Sudanese Sovereign Council and its opposition groups in Juba has been delayed due to the parties’ failure to reach a deal on the security arrangement.
This was revealed last week following the return of the mediation committee to Juba after a meeting with leaders of Sudanese Sovereign Council and opposition groups in Khartoum on six critical protocols, including security arrangement protocol.
Mediation committee led by Tut Gatluak, also Presidential Security Advisor and Chairperson of mediation team left South Sudan capital Juba for Khartoum last month to engage rival parties on direct talks to end conflict as well as the suffering of the Sudanese people.
Addressing the media after the arrival of the committee together with leaders of opposition groups on Wednesday, Dhiue Mathok, Deputy Chairperson of mediation committee said all the pending issues had been agreed on except security arrangement deal that will soon be finalized in Juba.
“After a long dialogue with decision makers in Khartoum, we concluded the necessity of the presence of the security arrangements delegation in Juba to complete the security arrangements,” Dhiue said.
The negations which started in October 2019 in Juba mediated by President Salva Kiir’s leadership, was to reach a deal within two months but suspended several times, due to COVIDP-19 pandemic among other reasons, forcing parties to resort to virtual discussions.
There are several opposition groups with different demands in talks with the Interim Sudanese government that ousted President Omar Bashir, including major factions, the Sudan Revolutionary Movement, SPLM-North, and SPLM-MM.
Leader of Sudan People’ Liberation Movement- North, Abdalla Aziz Alhalu, earlier warned his region would demand for self-determination should the current Sudan government maintain sharia law part of the rule in the country.
Sudan has been in conflict for decades with thousands killed and many more displaced both internally and to neighboring countries of Sudan.
Political upheavals gripped Sudan since its uprising against the government of Bashir spurred by worsening economy and unprecedented prices of basic commodities.