The Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States)
welcomes this week’s meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, of a broad
group of Sudanese civilian actors and stakeholders. This is as an
important step towards the formation of a genuinely inclusive and
representative pro-democracy civilian front.
This gathering speaks to the Sudanese peoples’ commitment to a
democratic future. We welcome the fact that, in the midst
of an active conflict, a wide array of Sudanese civilian actors
from both inside and outside Sudan—including representatives of
historically marginalized groups and areas, Resistance
Committees, trade unions, professional associations, civil
society groups, political parties, new initiatives, and
independent national figures—were able to come together for this
important initial meeting. We are encouraged that the meeting led
to a collective commitment to convene a larger gathering with
more diverse representation from Sudan in the coming months.
Sudanese civilians continue to gather throughout Sudan and across
the region to discuss their political future. We encourage
them to seek areas of convergence, forming a strong pro-democracy
civilian front that can begin a process to address transitional
and governance issues, and form a national consensus to press the
warring parties to stop the fighting and facilitate badly needed
humanitarian assistance. Securing a transitional civilian
government after the conflict is critical for resuming Sudan’s
progress towards democracy. That effort requires broad
participation of Sudanese from all walks of life and all parts of
the country.
The Troika condemns the continuing violence and tragic loss of
life across Sudan. Sudan will continue to require international
support and attention. The Troika countries are proud to be among
the largest donors in support of the Sudanese people, and we will
continue to focus on efforts to ensure that diverse communities
are able to participate meaningfully in building Sudan’s
democratic future, along with supporting displaced persons and
other at-risk communities through life-saving humanitarian aid.
