Trilateral Mechanism stresses importance of unified Sudanese Army

Representative of the Trilateral Mechanism, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sudan and Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Mr. Volker Perthes, has stressed the importance of having a unified and modern Sudanese army to serve the country and the citizens in line with the democratic transition.

In his speech at the opening of the security and military reform workshop at the Friendship Hall Mr. Perthes praised the progress and consensus between the political forces and the military component in moving towards a final agreement for the political process.

Mr. Perthes called on the non-signatory parties to join the political process, and said that this requires flexibility, considering that the Juba Peace Agreement is a reference for the security reform process.

Meanwhile, the representative of the European Union said that the security and military reform workshop sends a clear signal about the progress of the political process forward towards civilian rule, adding that the process of reforming the security sector is a long process, and indicated that security and military reform are among the most important issues facing Sudan.

In the meantime, the quartet mechanism welcomed the workshop, and affirmed its encouragement to the participants to build a minimum level of consensus and establish a civilian government, announcing its support for the agreement, security and military reform, and providing technical support.