Significance of Bashir’s speech at the Sudan People’s Initiative
By Mahmoud A. Suleiman
October 19, 2008 — The marginalised majority of the people of Sudan has described the president’s speech on Thursday the 16th of October 2008 at the Khartoum gathering as insincere and farce. It was considered as a poor diagnosis for the current ills which are haunting this great nation of Sudan. The speech has reflected his regime’s bad intentions toward the issue of the people of Sudan in Darfur. President al-Bashir has been repeating the same loose logos and slogans that were empty of content in the conference. His speech did not provide anything new to address the demands of the marginalised people in Darfur and elsewhere or on the peace and political process in the region. His speech was a bag of lies and misinformation on alleged derisible development projects proposed by his government. The National Congress Party’s (NCP) whole attempt was to buy more time, confuse and try to prevent the International Criminal Court (ICC) Tribunal from taking a decision in accordance with the arrest warrant of al-Bashir for the repugnant crimes he has committed in Darfur. News media reported that Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) as saying in a statement issued by his movement that the “Sudan People’s initiative” was doomed to fail for the non-participation of the armed movements and describing the initiative as festival rhetoric.
Critics indicated that the delegates who have been brought and alleged to represent the Darfuri people were all members of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) who do not necessarily express the will of the people of Darfur. Those delegations were only defending the positions of their party which lacks the will and the ability to contribute into resolving the outstanding issues of Sudan in general and Darfur in particular. The massive presence of the leaders of the notorious infamous Janjaweed actors in the General al-Bashir’s festive demonstration reflects clearly that the so-called “Sudan People’s Initiative for Darfur” is another ploy to defraud. It is pity that the NCP genocidaire never ever learn from their fatal political mistakes. How on earth they organise a ceremony for peace in Darfur led by the Janjaweed who has been the cat’s paw in burning villages and committing atrocities against the unarmed villagers. The plight of the arrogant Omer al-Bashir and that of the Janjaweed leaders have made the two parties who will face the same fate to come together and answer the call to demonstrate their evil forum. Rather than making political rhetoric out of difficult times, al-Bashir should have focused on how best to abide with rule of law, good governance and restitution of legitimate rights to the citizens of Sudan in Darfur.
Concerned observers say that the resolution of the Darfur crisis does not need any new or old fictitious initiatives at the same time, but what is needed is a on-step honest and courageous decision in goodwill, a strong determination and a firm desire by the President of the regime to address the roots causes of the problem once and for all. Before all that General al-Bashir and his associates need to recognize that there is a real issue in Darfur and that injustice is long over due for the people of that region. Analysts offer an advice, at this juncture, that the regime needs to reflect and go ahead for finding more easier way toward the solution of the innumerable outstanding problems in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan as a whole without delay
the General al-Bashir’s phrase “better policing and promotion of tranquility”, has been understood by the Sudanese public as reflecting the intention of the Government of Sudan (GOS) and its strategy in solving the crisis in Darfur through the military option, the option that has failed during the past five years or so. The age long military-security mentality of the National Islamic Front (NIF) remains in force among the ranks of the ruling junta in Khartoum. This very mentality has led to the commission of atrocities that included war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide for which Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir has been indicted on July 14th 2008 by the ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo at The Hague. The words ‘Better Policing and tranquility’ used by al-Bashir in his fanfare speech are only for local consumption and public relation purpose. Tranquility means, in the concept of NCP regime means new military operations in Darfur and killing more innocent people. Those right words have used in the context of deceit and falsehood.
The people of Sudan in Darfur believe that the so-called “Sudan People’s Initiative” orchestrated by the NCP as a mere forum for public relations which intended to circumvent the unenviable political situation and the prickly dilemma in which al-Bashir and his supporters live and breathe. The regime failed to convince the International community and Sudanese people that it has an objective peace initiative in place for Darfur.
Journalists and news media were asking with interest to know about the fate of the initiative of the State of Qatar today in the wake of the so-called ‘initiative of the people of Sudan to Darfur” recently launched by president Omar al-Bashir. An instant answer comes from political analyst and experts in the affairs of the Middle Eastern region, who strongly believe that this NCP initiative will make the Qatari mediation go, regrettably, with the wind! They added that the Qatari envoy, unfortunately, has become bogged down and stuck within the NCP’s dirty and tricky game which has rendered the neutrality required from Qatar at stake. Furthermore, the Qatari mediation has lost a valuable opportunity by failing to meet with the principal Darfurian movements groups, particularly the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement/A Unity (SLA/M) and by its vain attempt to associate with the ruling NCP led by President al-Bashir at the detriment of fairness and neutrality. Accordingly, the Darfur rebel movements have begun to cast doubt on the ability of Qatar to tackle the monumental task of bringing a just and a lasting peace to Darfur that would satisfy all the parties in the foreseeable future through talks at the negotiating table, witnessed by the International Community and the neighbouring countries. However, it has been learnt that the President of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, has expressed his willingness to sit with the Qataris to listen to the substance of their initiative, which advocates resolving the Darfur crisis. Moreover, the JEM leader has also been quoted by the (FM Miraya/ Mirror News) media as saying that a meeting between a representative of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Qatari Minister of State for the Foreign Affairs in Paris last week, indicating that JEM would welcome the Qatari initiative “if it is serious”. As for the NCP regime’s chief, critics say assertively that it is an ideal opportunity for him to bring his two decade atrocious political career to an end, deal with reality of international justice and give himself up to the ICC for a fair trial in The Hague when the ICC judges issue an arrest warrant. Nevertheless, all is not sweetness and light in the NCP camp at the moment. The culture of impunity would cease to exist for good.
Dr. Mahmoud A. Suleiman is the Deputy Chairman of the General Congress for Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). He can be reached at [email protected]