Rebel JEM urges Sudanese forces to stop bilateral dialogues with ruling party
March 23, 2008 (LONDON) — Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) urged Sudanese political parties to stop bilateral dialogues with the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) because it would lead only to strengthen it and maintain it in power.
Ahmed Hussein Adam added that JEM, as a political movement backed by broad sectors of society, feel that these dialogues include division, lack of realism and strategic dimension with regard to the popular concerns.
He pointed out that these dialogues will not solve the problems of the crisis of governance in Sudan and the structural imbalance of power distribution. He further said that Darfur crisis is just a manifestation of the disorder in the structure of governance in the Sudan.
“The problems of marginalized people are absent from these dialogue as well as the issues of democratic transition. Thus they are useless dialogues that the NCP exploits to gain time and to realise the fragmentation of political forces in order to remain in power.” He said.
Ahmed said that a real dialogue implies that the NCP recognizes the existence of real crisis in the country and sign agreements of just peace in Darfur and all of Sudan, including the implementation of CPA.
“We advise all political forces to move away from bilateral dialogues with the National Congress Party and direct their efforts toward a comprehensive dialogue proposed by the marginalized regions and different entities and dealing with crisis of governance in the Sudan.”
However the rebel spokesperson ruled out the seriousness of the Sudanese government to achieve lasting peace in the country.
“We reiterate that peace is a strategic choice for JEM if the NCP is willing to do so but we exclude that the government would be serious in this direction.”
JEM is thought to have the largest military rebel force in Darfur and has gained extra prominence in recent months through a series of clashes with government forces.
JEM leader, Khalil Ibrahim, proposed last week to hold one-on-one talks with the Sudanese government; he further said talks must include Kordufan and eastern Sudan. But Khartoum declined the offer saying peace talks on Darfur should be conducted under the auspice of the current UN-AU mediation.
Khalil call had been seen as a push to ongoing dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition Islamist party of Hassan al-Turabi, the Popular Congress Party.
International experts estimate some 200,000 have died and 2.5 million have been forced from their homes in the five years of revolt in Darfur, which borders Chad.
(ST)