SPLM-N and SCoP to boycott any “non inclusive” pre-dialogue meeting
December 26, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The rebel Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) and the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) have agreed to boycott the dialogue preparatory meeting if it doesn’t include all forces of the “Sudan Call” charter.
“The two parties share many common views on a new national project that they seek to achieve within a democratic and peaceful framework”, the statement read.
The statement underscored that the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) resolutions 456 and 53 laid an acceptable basis for the comprehensive political solution, noting the two resolutions stressed the need for creating conducive environment and holding a preparatory meeting that doesn’t exclude any active party to arrive at a comprehensive and serious dialogue.
“Accordingly, the two parties [SPLM-N and SCoP] agreed not to participate in any preparatory meeting in which the invitation isn’t extended to the “Sudan Call” forces or excludes one of its components,” they said.
It is noteworthy that the African mediation decided to hold a mini-pre-dialogue meeting excluding the opposition alliance National Consensus Forces (NCF) which is a major signatory of the “Sudan Call” charter.
Opposition forces accuse the African mediation chief Thabo Mbeki of succumbing to the demand of Sudanese government who refuses the participation of the NCF and insists that the pre-dialogue meeting should only include the rebel umbrella Sudanese Revolutionary Forces (SRF) and the National Umma Party (NUP) on one hand and the national dialogue committee known as 7+7 on the other hand.
The statement added the two parties stressed the need to jointly address the daily issues facing ordinary citizens including the high cost of living, water dams issues in northern Sudan, systematic destruction of the Gazira scheme and the confiscation of land.
They also agreed to confront the regimes campaign against public liberties including the arbitrary detentions, seizure of newspapers and attacks against college students particularly the students from Darfur region.
The statement underlined the importance to continue mass mobilization to achieve the peaceful popular uprising to dismantle the totalitarian regime and end the war, noting that the various means and tactics of change are complementary not contradictory.
The two parties further described the “Sudan Call” alliance as an opportunity to unite the national and democratic forces to dictate the agenda of peace and democracy, pointing they would work together to prevent any attempts to ruin the alliance.
The statement called upon the two parties’ allies to carry out their responsibilities to develop, activate and expand the “Sudan Call” charter according to thoughtful and consensual political and organizational views in order to prevent any attempts to dismantle the unity of the alliance.
The “Sudan Call”, which was established in Addis Ababa on 3 December 2014, includes the NUP, SRF, NCF and the Civil Society Initiative (CSI).
(ST)