The Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, announced the readiness of the security committees to gather former rebel forces in the cantonment sites as provided in the Juba peace agreement.
Under the peace agreement signed between the Sudanese government and the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF)’s factions on October 3, 2020, the assembling of forces should have taken place two months after the signing of the agreement, but the step was delayed for months, due to lack of funding.
“The security committees are ready to gather combatants into cantonment sites in Darfur and the Two Areas, as part of the implementation of the security arrangements chapter,” al-Burhan told the South Sudanese Chief Mediator Tut Gatluak according to a statement by the Sovereign Council after a meeting in Khartoum on Thursday.
Al-Burhan further reiterated the government’s commitment to implementing the peace agreement pointing it represents “the main pillar of the country’s security and stability.”
Several former rebel groups underscored the need to put troops in the cantonments sites pointing that the delay in the security arrangements would not help to restore stability, particularly in Darfur where tribal tensions remain high.
For his part, Gatluak said that he informed al-Burhan about the ongoing preparations in the capital of South Sudan, Juba, for the resumption of the negotiations between the Transitional Government and the SPLM-North led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu.
Following the signing of a declaration of principles, last March, the mediation announced that the peace talks will kick off on May 24.
In a related development, al-Burhan chaired a meeting of the High Peace Council at the presidential palace Thursday.
Following the meeting, Suleiman al-Dabailo the head of Sudan’s Peace Commission stated that the council agreed to form a committee to find out the reasons that led to belate the implementation of the security arrangements and to remove it.
Al-Dabailo revealed that another committee had been formed to prepare for the resumption of the negotiation process with the SPLM-North al-Hilu.
He announced a decision to enlarge the membership of the High Peace Council and the appointment of 10 new members.