Addis ababa: The Governor of Darfur Region, Minni Arko Minnawi, has affirmed that the participation of the Democratic Bloc in the Addis Ababa meetings is based on a clear and consistent political stance rooted in the Bloc's vision for Sudan's future, unity, and stability.
According to Sudan News Agency, Minnawi emphasized through a Facebook post that the Bloc's participation in the meetings is not aimed at achieving short-term political gains but is intended to reaffirm principles considered fundamental to any serious political process leading to peace and stability. He highlighted that the first principle is that dialogue must be purely Sudanese and held within Sudan, stressing that national issues can only be resolved through the will of the Sudanese people. He added that the role of the Quint Mechanism and the international community should be limited to support and facilitation, not substitution.
Minnawi further stressed the need for dialogue to address major national issues of a supra-constitutional nature, ultimately leading to a permanent constitution and defining the framework of the transitional period. He added that the second principle is rejecting any trade-off between peace and justice, warning against granting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia or the 'Tasees' alliance any political privileges beyond accountability requirements. He described this as a political and moral error with serious consequences for the future of the political process.
Minnawi called on the international community, particularly the Quint Mechanism, to avoid any steps that could be interpreted as attempts to rehabilitate these actors or grant them political legitimacy at the expense of victims' rights and justice. Regarding Sudan's unity, he stressed that preserving a unified state is a red line that cannot be crossed, rejecting any attempts to dismantle state institutions or establish parallel governments outside national legitimacy.
He asserted that such approaches require a clear international position condemning and rejecting them. The Governor of Darfur Region also rejected calls to form a government outside Sudan and attempts to impose it on the domestic political scene, asserting that governments derive legitimacy from the people's acceptance and free will, not from external conferences or international backing. He added that any political project that bypasses national will remains devoid of genuine popular legitimacy and will only prolong the conflict.
Minnawi concluded that participation in the Addis Ababa meetings was an institutional decision taken within the Democratic Bloc, noting that the absence of some members for personal reasons does not reflect the official position of the bloc. He stressed that Sudan is going through a critical phase requiring clarity of positions and adherence to national constants, reaffirming the bloc's commitment to Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue, non-negotiable justice, national unity, and rejection of externally imposed solutions.