SPLM-N calls for separation of humanitarian issues from political process

March 15, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan people’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) said on Sunday it would only participate in the national dialogue preparatory meeting if it is held before elections, also calling for humanitarian access to be prioristised and dissociated from the political process.

In a rare meeting with the political opposition forces organised by the German government last February, the rebel groups, including the SPLM-N, agreed to participate in a preparatory conference to discuss the requirements of the national dialogue. The participants also reiterated calls to postpone the elections and create a conducive environment.

President Omer al-Bashir rejected the outcome of the meeting, saying that its purpose was to convince the opposition to join the national dialogue and to put aside their demand for postponement of elections.

The SPLM-N leadership in its statement issued on Sunday accused Bashir of aborting the regional and international efforts to ensure the success of the national dialogue process which is linked to the African Union mediated process to end war in Sudan.

These efforts “were disregarded by the Khartoum government, which used the goodwill of the Sudanese opposition and the regional and international communities to continue its policy of buying time into the election” in order to extend its rule through “false and partial elections”, said the SPLM-N.

However, the rebel group renewed its commitment to the Berlin declaration and its alliance with the Sudan Call forces and declared its readiness for the preparatory meeting any time before the general elections which are scheduled for next April.

“The SPLM-N, as part of the Sudan Call, is not going to attend any pre-national dialogue meeting after the elections. It is worth mentioning that this meeting is an event to agree on the requirements (of the dialogue). It is not a process,” said the statement.

According to the African Union roadmap, the preparatory meeting has to be held after reaching cessation of hostilities agreements with the rebel groups in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur regions.

The German facilitators who are supporting the African Union mediation thought that a political agreement on the requirement of the political process would help to break the deadlocked talks on the security arrangements between the government and armed groups.

HUMANITARIAN ACCESS

Since the start of the conflict in the Two Areas in June 2011, the Sudanese government refuses to allow humanitarian access to the civilians in rebel-controlled areas, saying that they would not repeat the Operation Lifeline Sudan of 1989. At the time, Khartoum accused aid groups of providing food to the SPLM rebels.

In vain, The United Nations jointly with the African Union and Arab league tried to bring the warring parties to sign a humanitarian deal. Khartoum linked between the signing of a definitive ceasefire and the delivery of relief to the civilians in the SPLM-N areas.

The SPLM-N leadership underscored the need to observe the international humanitarian law and to not subject the relief operation to any political agenda from either side.

“The SPLM-N is ready to negotiate a humanitarian cessation of hostilities on purely humanitarian grounds and it should not be mixed with any political agenda,” said the rebel group.

The political issues should be negotiated after fulfilling the “unconditional rights of the civilian” for humanitarian assistance, further stressed the statement.

The spokesperson of the rebel group, Arnu Lodi, said this week that they attacked three garrisons of the Sudanese army in South Kordofan and announced that they are part of a military campaign aiming to support the opposition campaign to boycott the elections.

(ST)