SPLM to defend peace “even if it means going back to war”
Oct 17, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — A senior SPLM official in the federal parliament said the ruling party has no authority to abrogate the peace agreement, underscoring that SPLM will “protect peace even if it means going back to war”.
Reacting to a statement issued two weeks ago by ruling National Congress Party (NCP) Deputy Chairman, Ibrahim Ahmed Omar, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Atem Garang told Sudan Radio Service that the NCP, as a member of the Government of National Unity has no right to cancel the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Atem further said that the SPLM will protect the CPA even if it means going back to war adding that there are elements within the NCP who undermine the peace agreement.
Omar had warned that the NCP would cancel the CPA if the SPLM supported the deployment of the UN forces in Darfur.
“If invading forces enter Sudan and the SPLM, the partner in government, welcomes them, there will be no national unity government and the Naivasha agreements will cease to exist.” Omar said.
Atem said Omar’s remarks amount to a declaration of war.
“In the first place the CPA was not a donation from the NCP, so that they cancel it at any time. Therefore, the word cancelling is wrong word to use by Professor Ibrahim Omar. The agreement does not belong to the NCP. It belongs to Sudanese people, and the Sudanese people are the people who can say okay we want this, and we opt, or we prepare to fight. Then you mean you go back to square one”. Atem indicated.
Meanwhile, Atem said that SPLM would continue to support the deployment of the United Nations peacekeepers to Darfur to protect the lives of innocent Darfurians under constant threats from armed “Janjaweed” militias.
He told Sudan Radio Service from Khartoum last week that the UN forces are already deployed in various parts of the Sudan and there is no need to deny them access to Darfur.
Atem said only the UN peacekeepers can adequately protect civilians and promote stability in the region. He added that the mission of the UN in Darfur is not to arrest those people indicted by the international criminal court but rather to protect lives and promote stability in Darfur.
(ST/SRS)