Bashir regime responsible for secession of South Sudan and Darfur crisis: Mahdi
December 26, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The leader of opposition National Umma Party (NUP), Al-Sadig Al-Mahadi, accused the Sudanese regime of being responsible for the secession of South Sudan, crisis in Darfur, deteriorating economic situation, destruction of civil service, and the international isolation.
Al-Mahadi, who celebrated his 79th birthday on Wednesday, called for establishing a new regime and organising public pressure, protests, and sit-ins to force the regime to engage in a road map for achieving comprehensive and just peace and democratic transformation similar to that which took place in South Africa in 1992 or through a peaceful popular uprising.
He further called upon the rebel Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) and the opposition parties to accept the declaration of principles proposed by the NUP to achieve peace and the democratic transformation.
The NUP proposed a set of principles based on 10 points for inclusive dialogue that is founded on the diagnosis of all issues.
Al-Mahdi who rejects the use of violence to remove Bashir’s regime repeats that the political change should be done in a comprehensive process including the rebel groups.
Al-Mahdi who diverges with the other opposition forces over the need to reorganise the opposition alliance is also criticised by the rebel groups for his persisting call for democratic transition and refusal of regime change.
In a separate issue, Al-Mahadi called upon the conflicting parties in South Sudan to cease fire and accept a neutral African committee to investigate the recent incidents, demanding them to negotiate a peaceful resolution for the conflict to be followed by fair elections.
He expressed keenness to the implementation of the cooperation agreements signed between Sudan and South Sudan, asking Khartoum and Juba governments not to obstruct oil production and transportation or trade and pasture.
In September 2012, both Sudan and South Sudan signed a series of cooperation agreements, which covered oil, citizenship rights, security issues, banking, border trade among others.
Last March, the two countries signed an implementation matrix for these cooperation agreements.
Al-Mahadi further demanded the Sudanese government not to involve in the southern crisis, saying that it should only mediate to bring the conflicting parties together in order to arrive at peaceful solution for the problem.
(ST)