Addis Ababa — The official founding conference of the Civil Democratic Forces alliance (Tagadom), twice postponed, is now scheduled to take place in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on May 26, spokesperson Bakri El Jak told Radio Dabanga this week. He also elaborated on the negotiations' platform in the Saudi city of Jeddah that may have started already in 'some way or another'.
The Civil Democratic Forces alliance (Tagadom) was founded in October last year, by members of the mainstream Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC-Central Council) and other Sudanese pro-democracy parties and groups. Former PM Abdalla Hamdok was elected chair. Tagadom aims to build the broadest democratic civil front possible" against the nearly 11-month-old war between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Bakri El Jak, spokesperson for the coalition, told Radio Dabanga reporter Ashraf Abdelaziz on Wednesday that the Tagadom founding conference which was supposed to take place in late January, was postponed to March, and then to end May. "This was due to various complex issues and logistical problems that any conference of this size in a war situation would face".
The event will bring together about 600 Sudanese participants from all 18 Sudanese states and 24 different countries. "Most of the logistical challenges are related to arrange a safe passage for participants in war zones," El Jak said. "The conference is based on a political alliance of five main components: resistance committees, civil society groups, trade unions, political parties, and rebel movements. For the first time, we will work jointly to achieve a democratic Sudan."
The organisers may face practical problems such as the inability of representatives of some parties to reach the venue in Addis Ababa. "The biggest challenge now is securing the movement of participants in Sudan. Participants who will leave via airports in Sudan are expected to face problems, especially as there are blacklists of Tagadom members and the clear targeting of resistance committees and service committees in a number of states. Furthermore, no one can guarantee that security problems will not occur that hinder the arrival of participants from Sudan."
Jeddah platform
Asked about Tagadom statements saying that negotiations between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its paramilitary counterpart, the Rapid Support Forces, would resume in the Saudi city of Jeddah in the first week of May, El Jak replied that "I cannot deny or confirm that there are no representatives of the warring parties present in Jeddah or anywhere else, but what I do know is that communication continues with the two parties and that both have announced their willingness to return to the negotiating platform without conditions.
"What I know is that the mediators are currently talking with the two parties, and according to the information available to me, the negotiations were supposed to begin on May 6. I do not rule out that the two parties are discussing their stances somewhere. The delay may be caused by a lack of political will and sufficient incentives," the Tagadom spokesperson stated.
The Jeddah negotiations platform, set up by the USA and Saudi Arabia after the war erupted in mid-April last year, did not lead to any stop of the fighting, and were suspended in December. El Jak explained that the Jeddah platform this time will not only comprise US and Saudi negotiators but now also includes representatives from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the African Union, the Horn of Africa Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), the European Union, and the United Nations.
"I expect that the SAF will have reservations about the participation of certain parties. It requires a great effort from the mediators to equally put pressure on the two parties and make them realise that there are consequences resulting from intransigence and obstructing the achievement of a truce."
Influence
Not all parties participating in the platform have the ability to influence the warring parties. "Neither Egypt has the ability to influence the SAF nor can the UAE influence the RSF, as these are complex relationships brought together by interests and fears between these parties," El Jak noted.
"One of the most important issues that must be taken into consideration is that the war is now no longer a matter of two main parties or clear unified blocs. In the event of reaching agreements on a ceasefire and the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, we must ask: Do both parties have the full ability to fully control the forces fighting under their umbrella? What are the ceasefire mechanisms? This is especially important as experience has proven that any ceasefire agreement, which is not accompanied by field monitoring mechanisms on the ground, satellite monitoring and other mechanisms, will not be successful.
"All of these arrangements require consensus," the Tagadom spokesperson continued. "There was a previous agreement in Jeddah to assign forces from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, and perhaps a country from eastern Africa, to monitor the situation after a truce. Now, both parties must confirm that they agree to this principle before sitting down to negotiate, because reaching any agreement on the cessation of hostilities without achieving its goals will collapse and have catastrophic consequences for the people in Sudan in dire need of humanitarian aid."
AU conference
El Jak waved aside rumours that the African Union is arranging a conference for all Sudan's political forces, perhaps including groups affiliated with the dissolved National Congress Party (NCP founded by former dictator Omar Al Bashir and with the Islamic Movement in Sudan.
"Though this may be more a rumour than a fact, Tagadom decided to change the venue of our founding conference, originally planned to be held at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa."
The Tagadom spokesperson explained that "any person must be able to enjoy his civil rights, and certainly everyone can participate in formulating the constitution, including the Islamic Movement, but that is something for the future. As for the NCP, this party has been officially dissolved and prominent NCP officials were arrested and sent to jail.
"We know that there is a group called the National Congress Party that operates in secret, possesses arms, has set up militias, and its leaders have political influence. Yes, this is a reality."
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Tagadom does not reject the participation of Islamists in negotiating a ceasefire between the army and the RSF, "as long as they have an army or influence over the army -apart from the debate about whether the entire army is Islamists or not- .. As long as you are fighting in this war, you can be a party to any negotiation about a ceasefire.
"All we hope for from the political process is that it restores what is right for this group, that they be part of Sudan's political forces and the large Sudanese family, and that they have a desire to participate in framing a constructive national project that expresses all the aspirations of the Sudanese, and that their sabotage operations stop," El Jak said.
"It is easy for a few individuals to destroy an entire country. This is a complex issue and we now see plans being designed, through the work of Military Intelligence and the security apparatus, ethnically-based mobilisation, and the strife between ethnic groups. We hope that the efforts of NCP affiliates and the Islamic Movement will be transformed from a tool for demolition into a machine for construction," he concluded.
Tagadom opposition
Radio Dabanga reported this morning that 48 Sudanese political and civil groups signed a charter in Cairo on Wednesday, outlining their vision to manage the transitional period after the war.
The signatories, who contrary to Tagadom are not neutral but back the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), aim to determine the future of governance in Sudan through an inter-Sudanese dialogue.
