A Sudanese coalition of civilian forces met in Addis Ababa Ethiopia today for a 4-day meeting. The meeting of the Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces known as “Taqadum” was due to start on Sunday. But several Taqadum leaders could not enter Ethiopia from Sudan due to obstacles on border with Ethiopia and in Port Sudan.
Bakry Eljack, the spokesperson for Tagadum, said in a press conference that some participants encountered security threats on their way to Addis Ababa, resulting in a reduced attendance of approximately 500 out of 670 expected attendees.
The Popular Congress Party, the Democratic Unionist Party Elhassan Al-Mirghani’s faction, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North of Abdel Aziz al-Hilu are participating as observers. UN officials have also been invited to attend the conference on the final day of meetings.
Speaking about the objective of the conference, the spokesperson said, “We are here to ensure that all Sudanese see themselves in this vision. There are entities that criticize Tagadum, but their members are present at the conference, which is a positive sign of agreement on several issues.”
Leadership meetings addressed logistical obstacles and discussed the coalition’s response to the ongoing war. The meetings resulted in the approval of a political vision and organizational structure, which will be presented to the conference for deliberation and the selection of new leadership through consensus.
The civil war in Sudan broke out last year in April. Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces are in control of large parts. But neither could take control of entire country. Despite several rounds of talks held in Jeddah, the warring parties could not reach any agreement.
The Sudanese military, political and armed groups have held several meetings in Eritrea, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Chad since the start of war. UN has also been trying to convince all the relevant players to start dialogue but of no avail.
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