Sudanese Communists denounce U.S. efforts to secure soft landing for al-Bashir regime

January 5, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) rejected any negotiated solution with the government of President Omer al-Bashir and denounced U.S. contacts with the Sudanese opposition to ensure a soft-landing for his regime.

The SCP and his allied left forces in Sudan of the National Consensus Forces (NCF) and other opposition groups: Sudan Call, Sudanese Professionals Association and Unionist Gathering formed a coordination body to support the nationwide protests which call on President al-Bashir to leave.

This compromise was reached under the pressure of the street as the NCF kept denouncing the Sudan Call’s approach for a negotiated settlement with the regime and called for a regime change through a peaceful popular uprising.

In a statement issued on Friday night, the Sudanese communist recalled their attachment to the regime change and full dismantlement of its institutions.

At this historical juncture (…) We in the Communist Party reject calls to include the outcome of the national dialogue as a reference to the transitional period. We also reject any appeal to the army to take over the power,” reads the statement.

To counter the mounting popular pressure the regime has sought to break up the unity of the Sudanese opposition with the support of the international community which seeks to “implement a soft-landing scheme through the U.S. Administration Representative who met with some opposition parties in order to curtail the revolution and abort it,” said the statement.

Sources close to the Sudanese opposition groups told Sudan Tribune that the statement was referring to a meeting recently held in Khartoum by a diplomat from the office of Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan at the State Department with a leading member from the National Umma Party as representative of the Sudan Call opposition alliance.

“The meeting meant to explore the way out of the current crisis and if the Sudanese opposition can set on the negotiating table with the government of President al-Bashir,” said the source who preferred anonymity.

So, there were no discussions but an attempt to understand and assess the ongoing developments in Sudan as it has an immediate regional impact particularly on South Sudan and other countries in the region,” the source further stressed.

The United States and other Troika countries have been backing an African Union process aiming to achieve a holistic peace and democratic transition in Sudan.

However, the process has been stalled due to Khartoum’s intransigence to hold a new national dialogue process with the opposition groups. Also, the African mediation team has been blamed for its weakness and failure to bring the parties to make the needed concessions.

The Communist party emphasised that the regime should be overthrown and dismantled, after what a transitional government must be formed to lead the country for four years and prepare for general elections once a constitution is adopted.

Sudanese took to the street on 19 December to protest the increase in bread price and difficult living conditions but quickly turned to call on al-Bashir to step down.

However, the Sudanese president remained defiant and warned against displacement of civilians as a result of probable armed conflict, pointing to the civil wars in Syria and Yemen.

(ST)