Creation of a new rebel group in Darfur

Jan 12, 2007 (LONDON) –A new Darfur rebel group has been announced last week by a breakaway faction of SLM – Minni Minawi group which signed the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) on 5 May 2006.

The leader of the new Great Sudan Liberation Movement (GSLM), Mahgoub Hussein, is the former spokesperson of Minni Minawi. Hussein resigned at the end of December for failure of the DPA, he also said that the SLM-MM failed to achieve peace and stability in the troubled region of Darfur.

Hussein added that the SLM had lost its legitimacy to express the will and the aspirations of Darfur people.

The GSLM said it would not limit its military action to Darfur, threatening to extend it to Khartoum.

The following is the text of the first statement of the Great Sudan Liberation Movement.

– To our long suffering people of Darfur.
– To our displaced fellow brothers and sisters in the refugees camps and Diaspora.
– To our people in Blue Nile state, Sinnar State, Ghadarif State, Al Jazeera Aba, and all the social fabrics of Darfur wherever they are.
– To all Sudanese people in general.
– To our fellow compatriots from the Sudanese margins.
– To the voice of the revolution: students, women, and youth.
– To the patriotic military officers, soldiers, police and civil defence forces in Sudan.
– To all victims of the Ingaz regime.
– To our partners in New Sudan.
– To our fellow warriors in Darfur.

Preamble

As a continuation of our struggle for freedom, justice, and equality which has been marked by the inauguration of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) in 2003, and as part of our historical duties and national commitments towards a complete liberation of the Sudan from all forms of marginalization and discrimination on behalf of the vast majority of the Sudanese people in general and the people of Darfur, who have been denied any chances for a decent life in Particular; we, as a political and military institution , would like to maintain that ,in the light of the unfortunate developments followed the signature of the 5th May peace agreement between the Sudanese government and the SLM in Abuja, the whole SLM political programme for liberation and emancipation is now crumbing away to dust, and it’s likely to lead to a vicious reproduction of the crisis by means of the old destructive policies of centralization. This centralization is represented by the political, economic and cultural marginalization of the majority of the Sudanese people who are denied participation of the exercise of power, access to wealth and moreover subjected to cultural hegemony. The so-called Sudanese national building Programme has been an exclusivist project that merely based on false cultural and social super stratum. It has never recognized the historical and the contemporary diversity of the Sudan. It works to institutionalize the hegemony of small minority of the centre through its system of rule and governance and economic manipulation of the excluded regions.
Since its inception, the SLM called for restructuring of power, equitable distribution of wealth, religious tolerance and the creation of new socio-political, economic and cultural system.

In so far as it concerns, the SLM leadership has conducted a series of consultations and carried out an intensive discussion aiming a comprehensive policy revision through critical evaluation and through assessment of its performances and achievements in the last periods in order to make whatever necessary changes and modifications that may be needed as we push the wheel of struggle further. And accordingly, the SLM puts the following remarks forwards:

First: The whole Programme for liberation and emancipation by which the SLM aims to contribute in the process of transforming Sudan into free, democratic and peaceful country is now in jeopardy as the Sudanese government led by the National Congress Party seems to have succeeded in its efforts to sabotage the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and manipulate it to ensure its grip on power and deny the people of Darfur their minimum rights.

Second: The performance of the SLM has been crippled by the absence of institutionalism and transparency, which highlights the fragility of its leadership, its political incapacity, its lacks of experience and its vulnerability to become an easy exploit for the ruling party and its security apparatuses.

Third: The credibility and reputation of the movement has been stained by deeds of some of its members who appear to have been lured by the dominant National Congress Party to get involved in its murky world of corruption and take part in its destructive policy of divide and rule at the cost of the huge sacrifices our people made.

Forth: It becomes obvious that the leadership lacks political will and sufficient strategic vision to achieve the objective of the movements.

Fifth: It is also obvious that the Darfur Peace Agreement has been manipulated by the NCP to disintegrate the SLM and spoil its political programme and diminish its military power and public support. This creates a situation of disunity and leads to emergence of small circle-loyalties within the movement motivated by ethnic and personal interests rather than common good.

Sixth: The NCP continues to pursue, harass and persecute the SLM leaders inside and outside the country.

Seventh: Regardless of all what has been mentioned, the nightmare continues for our people in Darfur as they face a systematic brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing, rape and expulsion from ancestral homeland. These horrors are occurring on daily basis. Our preliminary statistics reveal that more than half million people have been killed so far in Darfur, and nearly three million have become displaced and more than 10 thousands women have been raped.
Eighth: It is obvious from the developments on the ground and the series of events took place inside the major cities and towns across Darfur, that the DPA is very unlikely to yield peace and stability in the region and consequently brings those who did not sign it on board.
According to this; we, in the leadership of the SLM; representing both its political and military wing; and in addition to its grassroots membership, would like to make it clear that it is our moral obligation and responsibility to step down collectively from our current positions in the structural hierarchy of the movement and continue to retain our full membership. Follows this, we have the honour to declare the formation (birth) of :

(The Great Sudan Liberation Movement) as a national political movement with a military wing; stresses on the core principles of liberation based on justice, equality, democracy and human rights in civil society that will address the key demands of the people of Darfur –who have been politically and socially alienated since the creation of the so

called “independent Sudan” – and fulfil at the same time the aspirations and the ambitions of the vast majority of the Sudanese people regardless of their cultural, religious , social and ethnic backgrounds.

With regards to this; the GSLM puts emphases on the followings:

1- In these critical moments of our history; the people of Darfur need to remain united more than ever before to a void another historical setback, which might become inevitable unless they stick together to their noble cause and form a united front in their struggle for freedom and justice.
2- Although the wisdom behind the signature of the DPA in Abuja was to stop the bloodshed and achieve reconciliation as a clear sign of good will, but the ruling party continues to manipulate it cover up its all out- war policies directed at the entire population of Darfur.

3- Great Sudan Liberation Movement affirms that the strategic goal of the ruling party in Khartoum and its allies is to distort the demographic components of the region through policies of ethnic cleansing, persecution, and expulsion to the neighbouring countries in order to create new realities on the ground.

4- Great Sudan Liberation Movement stresses that the campaign against the Khartoum government from Darfur will not be the only option to force the regime to comply with the just demands of our people, but these efforts should be extended to Khartoum by using all legitimate and possible means; and by adapting new tactics to topple the regime if it continues to ignore the sacrifices the people of Darfur have made to get their rights.

The Great Sudan Liberation Movement would also like to maintain that the conspiratorial policies of the regime in Khartoum aim in the first place to punish the people of Darfur collectively and deny them the minimum chances for survival and hence we must confirm the followings:

1. What is going on in Darfur is a systematic policy of aggression and animosity adopted by the government of Khartoum and its allies towards the people of Darfur.

2. So far, the African Union mission in Darfur has failed to achieve any thing in Darfur, neither in terms of security and stability on the ground, nor in terms of a political settlement at the negotiation table in Abuja, on the contrary many local Darfurians have seen it as a tool for the oppressive regime of Khartoum.

3. Since there is a growing consensus a round the world that the Darfur crisis is an international issue, it should be settled through international means.

4. The international community represented by the United Nation Security council, has failed to protect the people of Darfur from atrocities committed by the Sudanese regime, it fails collectively and demonstrably to honour its commitments and exercise its responsibilities to protect the defendless civilians population of the region.

5. Sadly enough, some institutions such as the Arab League and the some Islamic organizations have shown strong political bias in favour of the Sudanese regime and continue to back its position after they have been misled by its hollow propaganda about the scale of the atrocities committed in Darfur.

6. Most of the neighboring countries failed to play any effective role to resolve the crisis.

And accordingly we declare:

1- The political and military campaign against the regime in Khartoum will continue.

2- Crisis such as Darfur requires the world to respond collectively and effectively in form of strong military intervention according to the international law to protect the people of Darfur and to contain the crisis before the entire West African South Saharan region plunges in to overwhelming chaos.

3- Great Sudan Liberation Movement warns that there will be no solution to the crisis without a complete disarmament of the government sponsored militia of Janjaweed under international supervision.

4- For the sake of a lasting peace in Darfur, the GSLM affirms its determination to see those responsible for crimes against humanity there to be brought to justice.

5- By this statement, the GSLM would like to instruct all its political and military branches to be prepared for the next phase of the struggle with new mandates and responsibilities.
6- The GSLM also emphasizes the importance of a joint collaboration and better coordination with other political entities to form a broad Sudanese alliance to achieve liberation and bring democracy.

7- It also a certains need for accountability, transparency, fight of corruption and tough domestic legislations to ensure human rights.

The Central Committee of the Great Sudan Movement (CCGSLM)

1- Mahgoub Hussein Mohamed

2- Abubaker Sharafeldin Rashid

3- M.A/ field Commander

4- S.M / field Commander

5- A.A/ field Commander

6- B.A/ field Commander

7- M.A / field Commander

8- A.A/ field Commander

9- A.A/ field Commander

10- CCGSLM member (Khartoum)

11- CCGSLM member (Khartoum)

12- CCGSLM member (Khartoum)

13- CCGSLM member (Khartoum)

14- CCGSLM member (Khartoum)

15- CCGSLM member (ALfashir)

16- CCGSLM member (Nyala)

17- CCGSLM member (Jinaynah)

London.