Max Planck Foundation holds event with participants from Blue Nile State
From 1 to 4 May 2019, the Foundation conducted a three-day European Union supported workshop in Khartoum on the topic of “Decentralisation and Land Issues from a Comparative Perspective”. The event conveyed about 30 participants from civil society, academia, and relevant decision makers. The majority of attendees reside in Sudan’s Blue Nile region, a part of the country which, amongst others, is particularly affected by questions relating to land rights, or land usage, respectively. In a continued series of events, planned to be held both in Khartoum and in Sudan’s regions, the Foundation provides essential input to vital constitutional and legal challenges which play a key role during the current period of drastic changes.
In a related development, the Foundation’s director and members of the Sudan team met with a broad range of key players involved in the current transitional process. The Foundation provided advice on substantive and procedural constitutional questions. One of these is the crucial question of how to establish a transitional governmental system for Sudan which may claim legitimacy even though for factual reasons elections can currently not be conducted. Other issues include decentralisation & federalism, power sharing, inclusiveness, as well as state institutions and their constitutional powers. Foundation staff always emphasised the principle of Sudanese national sovereignty, i.e. the Foundation is willing and able to present different legal and constitutional options, without, though, delivering the final product, which is to remain in Sudanese hands. Following requests of several counterparts, the Foundation will continue to assist during this crucial transitional period.