Failure to implement peace pact dissuades holdout groups in Sudan: minister
May 27, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Federal Government Minister and SPLM-N Agar leading member said on Friday that the failure to implement the Juba Peace Agreement dissuades non-signatory armed groups in Darfur and South Kordofan from joining the peace process.
“The political hindrances preventing leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North of Abdel Aziz al-Hilu (SPLM-N Hilu) and the head of the Sudan Liberation Movement, Abdel Wahid al-Nur, from joining peace have become great,” said Buthaina Dinar in a Radio talks show on Friday.
Al-Hilu and al-Nur have condemned the coup of October 2021 and called for the restoration of the civilian-led transitional government.
Dinar who openly rejects the coup like the SPLM-N Deputy Leader Yasir Arman described the situation in the country as unfavourable for the involvement of the non-signatory leaders in a peace process.
She said previously the difference, in the past, was about the definition of the secular state but now, there are “the failure to implement the Juba Peace Agreement and the political situation in the country” in addition.
“We who laid down the arms are still suspicious, let alone the comrades who carry guns so far,” she added.
Peace talks between the transitional authorities and the SPLM-N Hilu were suspended in June 2020 after the failure to reach a framework agreement due to their differences over the extent of the separation between religion and state.
For his part, al-Nur refuses negotiations with the military leaders saying they want to hold an inclusive conference on Sudan not only the Darfur region.
The minister of the federal government said that the legal and constitutional situation in regions is very complicated as laws determining the competencies of the newly established regions had not been passed.
She added that the Governance and Administration Conference has not been held due to the October 25 coup, as it is linked to the support of international bodies.
Dinar warned that the non-adoption of laws organising the powers of the regional and federal authorities would lead to a conflict between the state institutions. She added that the awareness of the peace signatory groups of the political crisis prevents such complications for the time being.
The peace agreement established regional authorities in the Blue Nile and Darfur regions but the governor has no clear powers.
Darfur Governor Minni Minnawi several times called to end this ambiguity and pass the Darfur regional authority law.
(ST)