UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Thursday welcomed the signing by Sudanese opposition groups of an African Union (AU)-brokered roadmap for ending conflicts in Sudan, and urged all signatories to work for an early return of lasting peace in the African country.
In a press statement issued here, the 15-nation UN body welcomed the signing on Aug. 8 of the Roadmap Agreement by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM)-Minni Minnawi, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), and the National Umma Party.
The council members welcomed the support of the roadmap by other members of the Sudan Call, an opposition alliance bringing together Sudanese armed groups and opposition parties, the statement said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday welcomed the signing of the agreement and called on the parties to "maintain this positive momentum" and work toward an agreement on cessation of hostilities.
"The members of the Security Council commended the government of Sudan for signing the Roadmap Agreement on March 16, 2016, subsequently clarifying its commitments regarding the inclusion of other relevant stakeholders in the National Dialogue initiated by the government, and continuing to uphold any decisions reached between the opposition signatories and in the 7+7 Mechanism," the statement said.
The Security Council paid tribute to the efforts of the African Union High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) in helping to achieve the Roadmap Agreement, said the statement.
"The members of the Security Council urged all signatories to continue the momentum in agreeing upon a cessation of hostilities, modalities for expanding humanitarian access in Darfur and the Two Areas, and the process for reaching a final political settlement through an inclusive national dialogue, and in this regard welcomed the commencement of negotiations on Aug. 9 in two parallel tracks," the statement said.
"The members of the Security Council recognized that in signing the Roadmap Agreement, all parties have demonstrated a commitment to ending the conflicts in Sudan and moving towards a process of dialogue as a basis for lasting peace," the statement said.
Last March, AUHIP proposed a roadmap agreement for the Sudanese rivals, stipulating arrangements related to a cease-fire in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur regions, entering a peace process and involving the armed movements in the national dialogue currently convened in Khartoum.
The Sudanese government unilaterally signed the Roadmap Agreement, while the rebel SPLM-N, JEM, the SLM-Minni Minnawi faction and the opposition National Umma Party had refused to sign.
The Darfur armed groups and the SPLM-N had insisted that a preparatory conference should be held, according to decisions by the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council, to bring together all Sudanese political forces to agree on procedures for an equitable dialogue with the government, a demand that the Sudanese government rejected.
