In what amounts to a big shift in Sudanese politics, the opposition group Sudan Call declared last week, while meeting in Paris that it has decided to withdraw from the African Union's roadmap for a comprehensive settlement for the country's multi-faceted problems. That declaration was followed by a decision by two Darfur rebel groups, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement-Minni not to engage in any talks with the regime. The two groups were originally scheduled to meet with Khartoum in Doha last January following a German mediation.
Though this development was welcomed by another umbrella group, the National Consensus Forces who oppose any engagement with the regime, but it leaves only the SPLM/A-N headed by Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu as the only one still keeps the talks option on the table. The third Darfur rebel group led by Abdel Wahid Nur has a well-established position over the years not to engage in any form of negotiations with the regime.
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