African Mechanism suspends Addis Ababa talks between Sudanese government and rebels

Khartoum-The African mechanism has suspended the current talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM-North on the Blue Nile and South Kordofan after its failure to bring closer the viewpoints of the two parties on the agenda of the talks.

Head of the government delegations Ibrahim Ghandour has expressed readiness to fulfill the invitation of the mediation to resume the talks whenever asked, accusing the SPLM-North of trying to prolong war in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile.

Speaking to a news conference in Addis Ababa after the suspension of the talks, Ghandour said the other side is a captive to military and political alliances it cannot abandon

Ghandour said that the SPLM-North insisted on cancelling the application of Islamic sharia in the two areas, dismantling the police, security and military organs besides proposing the self-rule for the two areas.

He reiterated government rejection to all these demands as not coming in the context of the negotiations and the mandate.