By Addis Getachew
ADDIS ABABA (AA) – The Sudanese government has said it would never accept opposition proposals for the establishment of “humanitarian corridors” linking Sudan to neighboring countries.
The assertion was made by Hassan Hamid, a spokesman for a government delegation at ongoing talks in Addis Ababa with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), an armed opposition group that operates in Sudan’s conflict-ridden South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
Since Monday, peace talks have been underway in the Ethiopian capital, where two Sudanese government delegations are negotiating with the SPLM-N and Darfurian rebels.
Sudan’s National Umma Party (NUP) is also taking part in the talks.
On Monday, four Sudanese opposition groups signed a roadmap agreement proposed by African Union mediators.
The agreement calls for all-inclusive national dialogue, a cessation of hostilities and a permanent ceasefire, as well as humanitarian access to populations affected by Sudan’s ongoing conflicts.
Along with the NUP, the SPLM-N, Darfur’s Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-MM) signed on to the agreement.
During discussions held over the past couple of days, the delivery of humanitarian aid to conflict-affected areas has proved to be a thorny issue.
“The other party [the opposition groups] is insisting on humanitarian corridors linking to other countries. This is a red line for us. We’re a sovereign country. We cannot accept that,” Hamid told Anadolu Agency.
According to Hamid, some 2,900,000 people live in the two states, where the number of internally displaced persons and refugees stands at 289,000.
He said only small pockets of land in the two states were outside of government control. He went on to note, however, that dozens of UN agencies and international NGOs were actively working in these areas.
“In this regard, talking about and labeling the situation a [humanitarian] ‘crisis’ is totally incorrect,” he said.
Spokesmen for the SPLM-N, for their part, insist that the humanitarian situation in the two states has become critical.
