KHARTOUM, 12 December 2021, (TON): The UN cautiously welcomed the agreement reached on Nov. 21 in Sudan between Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and the leaders of October’s military coup.

During a meeting to discuss the latest UN report on the situation in the country, Volker Perthes, the UN’s special representative for Sudan, told the Security Council that the agreement is far from perfect but could help to avoid further bloodshed and provide a first step toward comprehensive dialogue and a return to constitutional order.

But he pointed out that there is strong opposition to the deal from a large segment of Sudanese stakeholders, including parties and associations within the Forces of Freedom and Change coalition, resistance committees, civil society organizations and women’s groups, who feel “betrayed” by the coup.

Perthes said “forthcoming decisions on government formation, high-level appointments and the establishment of transitional institutions will test the will and ability of the stakeholders to seek a common way out of the crisis.”