Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has held a rare public meeting with opposition party leaders. In a speech to mark the 48th anniversary of Sudan’s independence, he called on all sides to work together.
| "Yasss... We must all work together to support me. Wanna see my helmet?" |
The televised event comes two days after the resumption of peace talks aimed at ending 20 years of civil war. A BBC correspondent in Nairobi says a lasting peace depends upon the support of all groups, including those excluded from the talks in neighbouring Kenya. Until recently, the peace process in Sudan was very much a bilateral process, involving the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), the BBC’s Christian Fraser reports. The movement towards peace has had a profound effect on political alignments within the country. Some say the SPLA’s success in these latter stages of the negotiations has come from new alliances they formed with opposition groups in the north. But the government is showing signs it is prepared to talk to those parties it has traditionally undermined. Among the prominent leaders present at this special ceremony in Khartoum were Sadiq al-Mahdi, the former prime minister. Mr Mahdi, who is chairman of the Ummah Party, enjoys widespread popular support within Sudan, particularly in western Darfur, where fighting is intensifying, our correspondent says. He has consistently warned the government it is essential to find a way of transforming this peace process into a national agreement.
| I don't think Omar's listening, since he just had his term as dictator extended... |
If they fail, then bitter conflicts like the one in Darfur could well unravel a peace deal which is now tantalisingly close. |