Civil society activists and opposition leaders celebrate the 13th anniversary of the Ramadan Rectification Movement
SPECIAL REPORT to Sudan Tribune
LONDON, Nov. 15, 2003 — Civil society activists and leaders of the National Democratic Alliance joined the Ramadan Family League 13th anniversary celebration of the Ramadan Rectification Movement (April 1990).
In a clear statement emphasizing the League’s unwavering commitment to put to trial the “NIF murderer regime” besides “all elements of the June military coup that extra-judicially killed the army officers and regulars of the Ramadan peaceful movement in April 1990,” Manal ‘Awad called on the NIF rulers “to show without further delay where the martyrs were buried, deliver the martyrs’ wills to the League, and commit the authorities to put to trial both the military or civilian killers of the martyrs.” Speaking for the League, ‘Awad appealed to the national and international groups to support the League. “The peace process or any peace agreement should never exempt the murderers from full accountability of their heinous crimes,” affirmed the Anniversary Statement.
Dr. Mahgoub El-Tigani, the Sudan Human Rights Organization Cairo President, asked the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to live up to its political and legal obligations towards the Sudanese martyrs and their wounded families. The speaker asserted that the Sudanese Martyr has been the highest symbol of national sacrifice. Thousands of martyrs offered their noble lives in the march of freedom and democracy. Thousands were extra-judicially killed or enslaved. Hundreds of martyrs were members of the armed forces including the Ramadan martyrs. The killers and the torturers of the martyrs must be put to trial before the independent judiciary of Sudan, as well as international court in accordance with international law.
According to SHRO-Cairo, the fact that the NDA is sidelined in the ongoing peace negotiations between the SPLM and the Sudan Government is no excuse for the NDA not to honor the Alliance’s written agreements and declarations on the principle of accountability to enforce the “deserved punishment’ by Charter. “All NDA leaders have already announced clear commitments in this respect: Dr. John Garang earlier confirmed ‘he would never put his hand in the Beshir’s hands that ‘are mudarajat bi dimaa al-abriya [filled with blood of the innocent victims].’ Farouq Abu ‘Eissa affirmed ‘the People of Sudan will take revenge of the NIF murderers.’ All other NDA leaders have promised to put the NIF military and civilian culprits on fair trial before the independent judiciary.” “Once again,” the speaker further stated, “the NDA is required to make public this fundamental commitment in the light of the confusing climates of the present-time peace negotiations and ‘the leaked information’ about some kind of no-accountability agreement by the negotiating groups.”
“The NIF leaders, Bashir, Taha, or Turabi have not admitted until this moment the brutalities their rule committed against the Sudanese nation. Aware of the NIF ruthless attitude towards the human rights of people and the regime’s elusiveness, SHRO-Cairo appealed to the United States Government, the IGAD, and the international community to support the right to accountability in the peace agreements,” emphasized the SHRO-Cairo speaker.
Hatim al-Sir ‘Ali, the NDA Spokesperson launched a strong attack against the NIF dictatorial regime. “The NIF continues to destroy Sudanese society and state in all spheres of life. Most recently, the opposition noted that the NIF penetrated the civil society groups with a great number of governmental organizations that pretend to be non-governmental organizations to deceive the public.” The NDA Spokesperson renewed the NDA commitment to the accountability principle: “the NDA rejected all attempts by the ruling regime to get the opposition to adopt forgiveness as a basis of national reconciliation.”
Hatim ‘Ali stated that “The NDA strictly believes that forgiveness is a privilege that is not guaranteed for crimes against humanity, genocide, or national corruption. All citizens, regardless of status are subject to the rule of law. The NIF rulers will never enjoy a free lance to violate the law. The NDA is determined to put all criminals on fair trial. The NDA is not participating in the bilateral negotiations of Kenya; however, the NDA is closely monitoring the negotiations through the SPLM as part of the NDA Leadership Council. A peace agreement is not a favor to criminals. Peace agreements must include clear provision to put to trial all authority abuse and national crimes by any citizen, leader or member.”
The floor was opened for participant commentaries by the SPLM and the Federals’ representatives, as well as General Joseph Lago, al-Tigani Sisi, Hassan Satti, Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim, Khadija ‘Abd al-Rahman, and Osman al-Hassan.
General Lago addressed the audience with a special advisement: “bitter feelings will not help the establishment of sustainable national reconciliation as much as forgiveness might do,” advised the General. Alluding to the case of national reconciliation in South Africa that was remarkably successful, Lago explained, “The negotiating parties first agreed to start a new political climate for national unity based on national amnesty. Still, there was room place for accountability since there was admittance of crimes by the crime-doers. It was left for the victims to decide whether to take the cases to court or to forgive the culprit. This method helped to establish the South Africa national governance in a peaceful way. The Sudanese need to apply the South African experience to make of them selves a united nation on solid grounds.”
The General recalled “his earlier advice to Hassan al-Turabi” when the latter was considered “thinker of the regime.” The speaker said that he wanted the ruling regime to act as the South African regime did,” i.e., to admit the crime-doing, ask for forgiveness, and carry out real national reconciliation.” The General reiterated, “They did not listen to my advisement.”
Ustaz Deng Alier, the SPLM representative, ascertained his group’s commitment to the principle of accountability regardless of any peace agreement with the Khartoum administration: “Thousands of our people were killed in cold blood. We have more than 11,000 women and children enslaved of whom we have no knowledge whether they are still alive or dead. Our position in the peace negotiations is very clear. We firmly ask for full accountability of all crimes without any exemption for any individual or group, whatever.” Responding to a question by Ustaza Khadija ‘Abd al-Rahman of the Martyrs League about a Committee on Accountability in the peace negotiations, Deng replied,” Yes, we did ask for the establishment of the committee, which should take care of all criminal cases and trials as far as the country is concerned. The SPLM will pursue the implementation of this necessary measure.”
Dr. Ibrahim Deraig, leader of the Federals’, said that accountability must start with the “self.” The Sudanese political parties must be accountable for the national mistakes thus far committed since the early post-independence governments. The taifiya secular parties have committed serious mistakes including indirect political handover of the State to the military or even engaging themselves in direct military coup to destroy democracy. Party reform is another major element for the “self” political reform to insure stable democratic rule. Deraig said that the case of South Africa “as explained by General Lago is quite applicable in Sudan. Both measures are needed; accountability and national reconciliation must go hand in hand.”
Dr al-Tigani Sisi criticized the Khartoum military rule saying that “all military governments have destroyed the country with non-democratic rule.” Because the most horrid crime is overthrowing a democratically elected government, “these criminal rulers must be put to trial to account for all their crimes against people and the Homeland. The most important task before the Sudanese in the present time is to restore democracy and peace in the whole country.” Tigani stated that “the SPLM/Khartoum negotiations are representing only 20 percent of the Sudanese people hence 80 percent of the total population is virtually excluded from the peace process. As such, the SPLM and the government are not representative of the Nation. A constitutional conference will make that representation an actual reality,” ascertained the former Governor of DarFur in the 1986’s democracy of Sudan.
Reminding the audience with the atrocities of the regime in Sudan including corruption of the financial interests of the State by privatization while innocent citizens were brutally killed for currency possession, to mention a few crimes, Dr. Tigani Sisi emphasized the current atrocities of the NIF government in DarFur: “There are hundreds of people daily killed by the Khartoum regime, hundreds of villages are burnt, and more than 700,000 citizens of DarFur are now displaced with no housing or human services. The NIF rulers will not get away with that.”
Ustaz Hassan Satti stressed the significance of civil society associations in the struggle of people to enforce the rule of law. “The Ramadan League and the other Sudanese civil society groups have done a good job trying to insure accountability, Nonetheless, neither governments nor opposition parties would fulfill the civil society demands in this respect, What is needed most is for the human rights organizations and civil society groups to maintain valid documentation of all crimes committed by regime and then expand the campaign by strong collaboration with international groups.”
Among several speakers that made additional points in the forum, Dr. Mansour al-‘Agab, the former member of the Constituent Assembly, Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim, and Professor Osman al-Hassan discussed additional important issues.
Commenting on General Lago’s appeal for the People of Sudan to adopt the South African reconciliatory method of peace and national building, Dr. al-‘Agab, a former parliamentarian in the democratically elected Constituent Assembly (1986-1989), explained the case of South Africa “is not quite applicable in Sudan because the South African businesses and state administration were willing to admit the commission of national crimes against people, the international community was supportive of this willingness, and the victims, individuals or families, were granted full right to deal with the criminals by law.” Mansour further affirmed “the NIF rulers have not yet shown any willingness to act in the same manner.”
Ustaza Fatima Ahmed Ibraihm spoke about the murders of many Sudanese persons throughout the modern history of Sudan, especially by the Nimeri and the Bashir/NIF regimes. “The murder of al-Shafi’ Ahmed al-Shaikh would never go without fair trial for the killers, namely Abu al-Qasim Ahmed Ibrahim and his accomplices who are still protected by the existing dictatorship,” affirmed the speaker. “There is no place for affa Allah an ma salaf [God is forgivable of the passing sins] when dealing with crimes against humanity or crime against the State.” She announced that she had sent a message to Kofi Anan, the United Nations Secretary General, in which she criticized the UN recognition of the military governments that toppled democratic regimes.
Fartima Ibrahim said that the Sudanese major concern in the present time is to stop the occurrence of military coup in the future. “This should be done by moving all armed forces from the National Capital and the other cities inside the country to the borders where the army should do its constitutional job, i.e. protecting the Homeland from foreign aggression. The complimentary measure of this national goal is for the NDA and the civil society to put to trial all national criminals whether from the ‘Abboud, Nimeiri, or Bashir military regimes. Accountability is the safeguard of our peoples’ striving for democracy and peace that for sure wouldn’t prevail without that,” emphasized Fatima.
Professor Osman criticized the accountability principle non-application in the Sudanese arena. “It is indeed wrongful to allow former dictators or their close assistants to run the country’s affairs in democratic times. The appointment of Swar al-Dahab, the former minister of defense, as head of state in 1985 is one case to mention. The re-appointment of Abu al-Qasim Mohamed Ibrahim, the notorious murderer of democratic leaders throughout the May dictatorial rule (1969-1986), as minister under the second dictatorship of the Islamic Front is another case. Without principled application of accountability, fair trial to all national criminals and their accomplices, and full compensation of the victims the Sudan would be continuously threatened by political chaos and the disrespect of the law.”