Sudanese Professionals Decline Meeting UNITAMS Chief

Volker Perthes hold consultations meeting with political groups on January 21, 2022

February 4, 2021 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) declined to meet the head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) to discuss their position on the way out of the current political stalemate.

Last Month Volker Perthes launched a two-step initiative aiming to hear the positions of the Sudanese stakeholders and then to facilitate a Sudanese-led to reach a comprise on the sticky issues in the transitional process.

In a statement released on Friday, the SPA said they received an invitation for a consultation session with UNITAMS Head Volker Perthes to explore their position on the way forward to end the current crisis triggered by the October 25 coup.

The group, which led the December 2019 revolution, said they had already released a statement rejecting the dialogue initiative launched by the UNITAMS.

This initiative is “Far from the demands of the revolution and the slogan raised by the revolutionary forces in its struggle against the coup of the security committee and its allies” to reproduce the former Islamist regime, further stressed the SPA.

On February 3, the UNITAMS said they are still in the phase of the inclusive consultations with various Sudanese political and civil groups including, among others: the Islamist Popular Congress Party, the National Charter alliance including groups that spilt from the FFC and the Juba peace agreement signatory groups from eastern Sudan.

The SPA blamed the UNITAMS head for not condemning the coup, adding he sought to support and recognize it. Also, the group accused him of seeking to ensure the success of the al-Burhan-Hamdok agreement.

Also, they said that the mission contradicts its mandate and functions because it stood against the aspirations of the Sudanese people for democracy and supported the coup generals, militia leaders and warlords.

“This confirms the ineligibility of the Mission and its head to support and monitor the democratic transition in the country,” they concluded.

Besides the SPA, the Resistance Committees, the spearhead of anti-coup protests, also reject negotiations with the coup leaders and their supporters from Darfur armed groups.

The pro-democracy coalition of political groups, Forces for Freedom and Changes (FFC), in return, welcomed the UNITAMS initiative pointing out that it should lead to establishing a civilian transitional authority as they can no longer trust the military.

“The way out of the current crisis requires an end to the current coup d’état and the establishment of a new constitutional (declaration) in which the transitional authority will be entirely civilian”, reads a statement they released on January 16.

(ST)