Sudanese government, rebels to begin negotiations

The Sudanese government and the rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states will start negotiations next Tuesday in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, African Union have said.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Sudanese government and the rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states will start negotiations next Tuesday in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, African Union have said."The African Union mediation team will propose a paper to the two negotiating delegations, urging the two parties to cease fire for humanitarian purposes and implement an agreement on delivering humanitarian assistance to the conflict-affected population,” the AU said .The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement /northern sector, rebels fighting the government forces in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, announced on Monday that it had received an official invitation from Thabo Mbeki, head of the African Union High-level Implementation Panel on Sudan, to hold talks with the Sudanese government slated for Tuesday.Zainab Mahmoud Al-Dai, spokesperson of the movement’s delegation, has expressed in a press statement its acceptance of the invitation and readiness to enter the negotiations.Meanwhile, local Sudanese media reported Ibrahim Ghandour, head of Sudan’s negotiating delegation, has declared Khartoum’s readiness to enter serious negotiations with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/northern sector to reach a peaceful settlement.