New split looms against SLM’s Abdelwahid

Mar 5, 2006 (ABUJA) — A 19 members group from the leadership of rebel Sudan Liberation Movement announced freezing the president of movement while they called for the holding of a general conference of the SLM.

In a move justified by their opposition to the conclusion of a deal between their leader Abelwahid Mohmaed al-Nur and the Sudanese government, the group decided to freeze the powers of Nur as chairman of the SLM.

For his part, Abdelwahid said the 19 group is not qualified to take such decision, he also reiterated his decision to end the coordination with the other rebel groups which have been negotiating as a unified Front.

This is the second division within the SLM. After a conference convened in Haskanita, a rebel-held town in North Darfur state, the SLM is divided to two factions, Minawi faction and Abdelwahid faction.

These divisions will complicate the task of the AU Mediation team in Abuja. Also, it will conduct international community to make more pressures on the rebel group during the talks.

The following is the text of the 19 group press release published yesterday in Abuja – Nigeria:

The Sudan Liberation Movement

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate the Merciful

Statement No (2)

The Sudan Liberation Movement – Abuja

To all the Sudanese people in general and to those of Darfur in particular.

Believing in the rights and interest of the people of Darfur as a whole;

Further believing that our strength lies in our unity, as we are in dire need to close our ranks, rather than get divided and disintegrated, during and after the negotiations at this crucial moment of the history of our people and of our region, amidst the tragedy unleashed against our people; the killings, displacements and impoverishment of our relatives; the destruction of their homes and property, – a tragedy which did not prevent them from continuously preserving their honour and pride, or from struggling to restore their rights with dignity,

We hereby wish to explain to our people the following:

In our capacity as participants in the negotiations, monitoring what is going on in Abuja, at Chida Hotel and following the unilateral decision taken by the Chairman of the Movement to end the coordination between the Movements which have been negotiating as a unified Front, and after assessing the outcome of the visits paid by the various members of the International Community who addressed the negotiating delegations, including the British Foreign Secretary Mr. Jack Straw and Ian Pronk the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, the repeated meetings held with Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, the AU Special Envoy for Darfur and Chief Mediator, the daily discussions and talks being held with the Diplomats, Observers and Mediators as well as with individual members of the International Community participating in the negotiations, the statements made to the Media by the Sudanese Government delegation, the latest of which was that of Dr. Amin Hasan Omar on Sudan TV about the possibility of signing the Peace Agreement with the group of Abdul Wahid Muhammad Ahmed El-Nur and Since Mr. Abdul Wahid Muhammad Ahmed El-Nur is determined to go it alone to consolidate his dictatorship and marginalize all the institutions of the Movements in his drive to carry out his narrow-minded personal agenda, surrendering himself to the desires of his entourage, incapable of performing the functions of leadership, while arrogating to himself standards of perfection, because to him, the determinant of leadership is how much one is admired by the others,

And since he has become a quagmire of inflexibility, rigidity, grudge, division and violation of the SLM/A transitional statute issued in 2005 (Chapter 3 Article (1) Paragraph (D),

Whereas we have sworn in the name of Allah and His Holy Book that we shall not compromise the blood of our martyrs, the wounded, the tears of our bereaved mothers, the orphans and the widows; and we shall not be lenient towards whomsoever would gloss over the rights of our displaced persons, refugees and the homeless affected by the war that was unjustly imposed on the peaceful people of Darfur.

In light of the above and determined to:

1. Preserve the rights, dignity and prestige of our people;

2. Preserve the coordination and unity among the Abuja negotiating delegations;

3. Preserve the unity and future of Darfur;

4. Preserve the full transfer of power to the population of Darfur; and

5. Protect the up-coming Darfur-Darfur dialogue with a sincere and united vision with a view to laying the foundation for stability and development in Darfur;

6. Further determined to resolve the issue of Janjaweed by reintegrating them into the society;

7. Determined to resolve the problem of the international refugee disaster and that of the internally displaced persons as well as its attendant problem of poverty;

8. Determined to find a solution to the social diseases resulting from the war, bridge the widening educational gap and its negative psychological impact on the citizens;

9. Preserve our social values, norms, spiritual and historical achievements; and

10. Perform our duty towards our women and children.

To fulfill the above objectives:

We, the undersigned, in the name of the people of Darfur on whose behalf and interest we are negotiating, and following the consultation with all the military commanders of the different sectors, hereby decide to: –

1. Freeze the powers of Mr. Abdul Wahid Muhammad Ahmed El-Nur within the leadership of the supreme command of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) including his executive, legislative and representational powers;

2. Set up a Transitional Revolutionary Council under the chairmanship of Mr. Khamis Abdullah Abkr, to collectively administer the affairs of the Movement until such time as a congress can be held by the Movement within a period not later than 3 months from the date of this statement;

3. Firmly reactivate the full coordination between the Movements’ negotiating delegations in Abuja;

4. Firmly commit ourselves, as a matter of strategy, to full transfer of power to the people of Darfur after the Darfur-Darfur dialogue;

5. Unequivocally re-affirm our commitment to the defense and unity of the Sudan being the homeland of all of us;

6. Provide a comprehensive vision for the restoration of stability and development within the framework of the Joint Assessment Mission led by the World Bank; and conduct an inventory of top Darfur intellectuals and build their capacities to enable them to participate in the programme and in the preparation of the Donors’ Conference;

7. Reiterate the commitment by all the Movements to end the ceasefire violations and to the preservation of the properties and rights of the citizens;

8. Create forthwith a Higher Mechanism comprising the indigenous community members and the Movements to end the armed assaults between the Movements on the one hand, and the citizens and Janjaweed on the other, as well as establishing a clear and purposeful vision for a solution of the issue of Janjaweed with a view to reintegrating them into the society;

9. Re-affirm the Abuja Negotiation Forum and the AU Mediation as the framework to achieve a comprehensive and just peace for the citizens of Darfur to be concluded with the Sudanese Government;

10. Fully commit ourselves to the Ceasefire Agreements;

11. Fully commitment ourselves to all the Agreements signed by the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army;

12. Be firm in our endeavour to keep all the Revolutionary Movements in Darfur united, thereby paving the way for a united front and common ground for the people of Darfur; and

13. Develop meaningful relations with neighboring countries, friends and the regional and international humanitarian organizations.

Finally, our people in the Sudan in general and in Darfur in particular may wish to note that we have taken this step when it became clear and beyond reasonable doubt that our cause was in jeopardy, and that the current leadership had become too weak to lead us safely out of danger, and fulfill the expectations and aspirations of our people in peace and dignity. Let our people rest assured that their rights are in safe and impregnable hands. We shall honour our commitment.

You will be kept informed of developments as they unfold.

Long live the struggle of our long suffering population of Darfur
Long live the struggle of the people of the Sudan.
May greatness and immortality be the lot of our faithful martyrs: –

1- Khamis Abdullah Abkr – Vice – Chairperson of SLM/A

2- Adam Ali Shugar – General Coordinator and member of the Joint
Committee

3- Jar Elnabi Abdul Karim Yunus – Secretary General

4- Ismail Omar Idris – Speaker of the Legislative Council

5- Dawood Taher Hariqah – Organizing and Administrative Secretary

6- Hydar Adam Muhammad – Secretary for Military Affairs

7- Abdullatif Hamid Daifah – Northern Sector

8- Sulayman Adam Musa – Deputy Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs

9- Sulayman Ibrahim Marjan – Secretary of Finance

10- Hashim Hamad Abdul Rahman – Member, Commission on Wealth Sharing

11- Abdullah Abdul Rahman Abdullah – Far Central Sector

12- Ya’aqub Abdullah – Far Central Sector

13- Abul Qasim Ahmed Abul Qasim – Commission on Wealth Sharing

14- Saif El-Nassr El-Tijani Haroun – Member, Commission on Security
Arrangements

15- Ya’aqub Adam Saad El-Nur – Member, Commission on Security
Arrangements

16- Bahr El-Nur Basi Qinni – Member, Commission on
Power Sharing

17- Kamal Abubakr Mansour – Member, Commission on
Security Arrangements

18- Ahmed Omar Khamis – Member, Commission on
Security Arrangements

19- Juma El-Nur Muhammad – Member, Organizing and
Administrative Committee

(ST)