The Head of the UN Mission in Sudan Volker Perthes announced Saturday the launch of a comprehensive dialogue between the Sudanese parties to reach an agreement to get out of the political crisis. According to a statement issued by the UN mission and received by KUNA, the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) and Head of UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) Volker Perthes said that he had officially launched the initial consultations for a political process between the Sudanese parties. This was in consultation with Sudanese and international partners, and facilitated by the UN, aimed at supporting Sudanese stakeholders to reach an agreement on a sustainable path of progress towards democracy and peace. He indicated that the transitional period faced great obstacles after the military coup on Oct. 25, while the repeated violence against peaceful demonstrators after the coup contributed to deepening the mistrust among all political parties in Sudan. Perthes expressed his concern that the current political impasse would lead the country to further instability and squander the political, social and economic gains that have been achieved since the outbreak of the revolution. He added that it is time to end the violence and engage in a constructive process, pointing out that the process will be inclusive and all key stakeholders, civilian and military, including armed movements and political parties will be invited to participate in the political process facilitated by the UN. UNITAMS was established by Security Council Resolution 2524 (2020) in response to the request of the Sudanese leadership in February 2020 to support the democratic transition in Sudan. Since last Oct. 25, Sudan has been experiencing a severe crisis, as Sudan's Army Chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency, dissolved the Sovereignty Council as continuous protests demand that the army not have a role in the government during a transitional period. — KUNA
