Brussels, 10/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 9 April, the EU spoke of its disappointment that, after promising to launch a national dialogue, the Sudanese government has refused to take part in the Addis Ababa talks being held under the aegis of the African Union. This augurs badly for the presidential and parliamentary elections on 13 April, the EU states.
“The EU (…) is disappointed that the government of Sudan is missing the opportunity by not responding to the efforts by the African Union to bring all stakeholders together”, said High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, describing this failure to initiate a genuine national dialogue as “a setback for the people of Sudan”. She warns that in these conditions, “when dialogue is bypassed, some groups are excluded and civil and political rights are infringed, the upcoming elections cannot produce a credible result with legitimacy throughout the country. The people of Sudan deserve better. We therefore chose not to engage in support of these elections.”
By contrast, the EU commends “those representatives from armed groups, political opposition and civil society who were present in Addis, ready to engage”. All the observers agree in predicting that Omar al-Bashir is on course to continue as leader of Sudan. (Aminata Niang)