EU says voices of the peripheries are vital and require more amplification and recognition by the centre

The Workshop on the Challenges of Darfur Region under the Democratic Transition was organized by the International Institute for Democracy and Elections, in cooperation with the Ministry of Federal Government and the Darfur Lawyers Organization on Sunday at Al-Salam Hotel.  The event was funded by the European Union.

The event was addressed by their excellences Professor Siddiq Tawer, member of the Sovereignty Council, and Ms Buthaina Ali Dinar, Minister of Federal Governance and Mr. Sami Abdul-Halim, the Director of the Sudan office IDEA.  Ms Sophie Hirsch said the following speech on behalf of the Delegation of the European Union to Sudan:

Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen,

Over the past two years, the European Union has been a keen supporter of the democratic transition here in Sudan. Together with SIDA, we are very glad to have collaborated with International IDEA, an organisation that fosters dialogue, shares knowledge and strengthens the capacities of key stakeholders in this very process. Furthermore, it has been a great pleasure to be witness over the past two years to some of these dialogues and workshops around a wide range of topics from electoral reform and processes to constitution making to civic education.

We believe that the voices of the peripheries are vital and require more amplification and recognition by the centre. We would like to commend the Darfur Bar Association as one of the most fervent advocates not only of human rights in Darfur but also as a key player linking Darfur to Khartoum.

We are glad to see Sudan’s move towards federalism and empowerment of the peripheries accelerate. Rooted both in the Constitutional Document as well as in the Juba Peace Agreements, and implemented in first concrete steps with the formation of the inclusive and diverse government at the beginning of this year as well as the launch of the Governance Conference. We stand ready to support the regions in the new challenges that lie ahead of them, as we believe that a successful transition is only possible with strong institutions, both at the centre but more importantly at the state-level.

Whilst we continue to be preoccupied with some of the recent events of tribal attacks in Darfur and would like to insist on the need to increase efforts of addressing the root causes. In this context, we would like to reiterate the EU's strong interest in peace and stability in Sudan, which we will continue to support both at government level, but also through civil society, thereby upholding the EU core values, i.e. respect for human dignity and human rights, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law.

Thank you.

Khartoum 06 September 2021