Sudan’s NUP says peace roadmap will move national struggle to a new stage
August 12, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s opposition National Umma Party (NUP) said the Roadmap Agreement brokered by the African Union would transfer the national work to a new phase urging political forces to seize the opportunity and prevent government procrastination.
Last Monday, four groups from the opposition umbrella Sudan Call including the NUP, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement /North (SPLM-N), Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-MM) led by Minni Minnawi signed a roadmap for peace and dialogue proposed by the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP).
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday, NUP general secretariat said the signing of the Roadmap reflected the unity of the Sudan Call and was a victory for its vision to bring about change through dialogue or popular uprising.
It stressed that the NUP would proceed alongside the Sudan Call forces on the peaceful solution track to achieve change and salvation through a unified vision, saying they neither care about government negative propaganda nor the fabrications of the skeptics.
The NUP vowed to continue its efforts to expand the opposition and resistance front, saying they are entering a new stage of the national struggle that requires unity of the Sudanese people in order to prevent further split of the homeland.
The statement criticized what it described as “regime media” which continued to stress that the opposition endorsed the Roadmap following huge regional and international pressures, saying the government is paralyzed and isolated both internally and internationally.
It underlined that the signing of the Roadmap doesn’t mean that the opposition seeks to secures its power share, pointing they wouldn’t join the government-led national dialogue.
“No one seeks [a ministerial] position in a regime that is characterized by genocide, corruption and tyranny and we wouldn’t accept anything less than a just and comprehensive peace and a true democratization” the statement read.
The NUP further stressed the need for popular mobilization during the next stage, calling on the Sudanese people to deny the skeptics the opportunity to abort the transformation process.
The statement pointed that the signing of the Roadmap has paved the road for a comprehensive and credible national dialogue, saying the NUP is ready to support its allies in the armed groups during the peace talks with the government.
Some political parties within the internal opposition umbrella of the National Consensus Forces (NCF) including the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP), the Arab Ba’ath Party (ABP), Nasserite Socialist Party (NSP) have refused to sign the Roadmap saying it would reproduce the regime.
(ST)