Johannesburg – Sudan’s long-anticipated peace talks have been suspended after the leader of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) Saif Saeed said talks with the transitional government would only continue after some outstanding issues were resolved.
On Thursday Saeed said the SRF would only return to the negotiating table when Khartoum resolves procedural issues and releases detainees, the East African reported.
Peace talks started on Monday in neighbouring South Sudan's capital Juba with the aim of ending the country's years-long civil wars.
“We called for postponement for 15 days to a month. They agreed in principle to this opinion...there will be a route for representatives of Darfur on their own,” said Saeed.
Tut Gatluak, the presidential adviser on security affairs confirmed the suspension of negotiations.
Sudan’s long-anticipated peace talks have been suspended so that outstanding issues could be resolved. Video: Zodidi Dano/ African News Agency.
“We accepted the request for postponement by the Revolutionary Front in order to agree first on the agenda and the road map,” said Gatluak.
The SRF, which represents six armed groups from the Darfur region, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, was formed in November 2011 following fighting that broke out in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile provinces in the wake of South Sudan’s secession from the north.