Sudan’s SRF says committed to armed struggle
May 27, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) has underlined its commitment to the armed struggle as a legitimate means of resistance against the Sudanese government.
It added the opposition Sudan Call alliance has nothing to do with the armed struggle, saying violence of the regime has forced them to hold arms to defend innocent civilians.
“The SRF bears full responsibility of the armed work besides its full commitment to the declared unilateral cessation of hostilities. And the Sudan Call and its political parties have nothing to do with the armed work because it is a civic and peaceful alliance which includes the political organs of the SRF,” read the statement
The statement stressed the SRF would lay down arms only after achieving comprehensive and just peace and establishing a state in which duties and rights would be based on citizenship without discrimination.
The Sudan Call, which was established in Addis Ababa on 3 December 2014, includes the National Umma Party (NUP), the rebel SRF factions, Sudan Call parties inside Sudan and the Civil Society Initiative (CSI).
In a meeting held in Paris last March, the Sudan Call chose the NUP leader Sadiq al-Mahdi as chairman and approved a constitutional declaration and a final communiqué calling to adopt peaceful political means to achieve change through peaceful popular uprising or dialogue.
However, the Sudanese authorities filed criminal charges against al-Mahdi accusing him of dealing and coordinating with the armed movements that seek to topple the regime.
SRF is a coalition established in 2011 between rebel groups in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile including the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sudan Liberation Movement/SLM-AW led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nour and SLM-MM led by Minni Minnawi and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N).
Divergences appeared within the SRF groups in October 2015 when the three groups from Darfur region, JEM, SLM-AW and SLM-MM, issued a statement announcing the appointment of the leader of JEM, Gibril Ibrahim, as chairman of the rebel umbrella.
The SRF split in October 2015 into two factions one headed by Gibril Ibrahim and the second by Malik Agar after a difference over the chairmanship of the rebel alliance.
In October 2017, the SRF Gibril held its general conference in Paris. The rebel alliance leaders unanimously elected Minni Minnawi as a new chairman for the umbrella organization.
(ST)