Sudan uprising unlikely to happen, says opposition leader

The president of the Sudanese opposition party known as the “Reform Now Movement”, Ghazi Salahuddin Al-Atabani, has said that the movement’s political bureau will meet on Wednesday in Khartoum to decide whether or not to participate in the upcoming national talks next Saturday. Al-Atabani highlighted the general contentment in Sudan for the opportunity for consensus and of resolving current conflicts through meaningful political dialogue.

In an interview with Quds Press, Al-Atabani praised the presidential decrees announcing amnesty for gunslingers participating in the national dialogue, as well as a ceasefire in areas of armed conflict for two months; saying that the move is a step is in the right direction, even if it requires joint agreement between both parties for a final ceasefire.

Al-Atabani pointed to the existence of an agreement between all political parties to meet abroad preceding the Khartoum talks, since there are leaders who cannot enter the country and also to determine the dialogue agenda.

Al-Atabani added that he doesn’t think holding the national dialogue in Khartoum before the preparatory meeting would be a sufficient reason to thwart the talks; adding that it all depends on the political will of participating parties and their determination to move forward with this path. He says he believes all factions are convinced of the importance of a dialogue to resolve Sudanese issues.

Al-Atabani said that although the international; community has had influence on the talks, the final outcome will be determined by pure Sudanese will.

Al-Atabani excluded the possibility of resorting to the street to challenge the existing system along the lines of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. The opposition leaders said that this scenario seems unlikely to happen in Sudan, and that public opinion doesn’t support an uprising as long as there is an opportunity to resolve existing problems through dialogue.