SPLM-N Agar calls to link peace talks with Sudan’s lift from terror list
November 30, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Malik Agar has called on the Troika countries and the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to put pressure on the government and to link the normalization process with Washington to the achievement of peace.
He further expressed readiness to work with everyone, both within the SPLM-N or the opposition Sudanese forces, in order to overthrow the regime and realize the aspirations of the Sudanese people to live in dignity.
“I call upon the international community represented by the Troika and the African mechanism to take a united stance towards peace in Sudan and to press the National Congress Party (NCP) regime, especially linking normalization (process) with Khartoum and the lifting of Sudan from the list of states sponsor of terrorism with the efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace for all the Sudanese people, and full democratic change,” Jalab said.
During a recent visit to Moscow, President Omer al-Bashir slammed Washington policy on Sudan saying it intends to divide the country into five states. His criticism comes after reports saying that John Sullivan , U.S. Deputy Secretay of State urged the Sudanese government when he was in Khartoum this month to amend the constitution and laws to protect the religious rights of Christians in Sudan.
Among others, he further asked for political reform to ensure freedoms for the opposition parties and to protect fundamental rights.
The U.S. administration indicated that would be the price for Sudan’s removal of the terror list.
The new SPLM-N Agar secretary-general and former South Kordofan governor appealed to the SPLM-N led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, “to reunite the movement in a proper manner and work to defeat the NCP regime”.
Jalab said al-Hilu bears the responsibility of the ongoing fighting in the Blue Nile between the two factions, calling on the SPLA-N commanders to discuss with them ways to stop the conflict and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the affected civilians.
Following the rift between Agar and al-Hilu, the SPLM-N controlled-areas in the Blue Nile state witnessed fierce fighting between the two factions, resulting in the death and injury of dozens, and the displacement of large numbers of civilians fleeing violence particularly from the areas of Abu Ngro and Yaboss.
He pointed out that the situation in the Two Areas is worsening day by day, especially as the humanitarian situation is directly affected by the political developments in the SPLM-N, in addition to the siege imposed by the regime since the outbreak of war.
He renewed the SPLM-N’s position providing to prioritize the humanitarian operation before any political talks for the end of the six-year armed conflict in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.
He stressed that the SPLM-N will continue their struggle for the Two Areas to enjoy autonomy and large powers that enable its people to govern themselves and at the same time to participate in the federal government under a unified democratic Sudan.
“Our first and last battle is against the National Congress regime, which divided the country, ignited wars against its people, wasted the wealth of the Sudanese people, lost its rights, humiliated it, tarnished its reputation among the peoples of the world and destroyed the country’s economy,” he said.
The SPLM-N al-Hilu calls for the right to self-determination for the Nuba Mountains people, a request that Agar and the former Secretary-General Yasir Arman at the time refused to include in the SPLM-N position paper for the peace talks with the government.
It is not clear how the mediation would reconcile the two factions on one position paper before to engage in humanitarian or the political talks, as the two groups have different positions on all the file.
In the humanitarian negotiations, al-Hilu group calls to bring the relief to the Two Areas directly from the neighbouring countries while Agar group says they want 20 percent of the humanitarian aid be delivered direclty from Asosa in Ethiopia.
(ST)