Darfur rebels hail decision by SPLM to postpone census
April 12, 2008 (LONDON) — The two largest Darfur rebel groups today applauded decision by Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) to suspend a long awaited census till year end.
“The reasons they [SPLM] cited for their decision is simply a snapshot of the situation in Sudan as a whole. There can be no census or elections under these circumstances anywhere in the country” Al-Nur said.
The spokesperson for Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Ahmed Hussein Adam echoed the same view.
“We call on the SPLM to stick to its decision. This position is the closest to that of the marginalized population of Sudan”.
The former Southern rebels made a surprise decision today to exclude the South from the census process until the end of the year.
“It was postponed,” South Sudanese Information Minister Gabriel Changson Chang told Reuters from Juba. “There is a sizeable number of southern Sudanese in northern Sudan and if they are not transported to the south before the census it will affect the wealth sharing.”
Questions on ethnicity and religion were not included in the census questionnaire, contrary to the southern government’s wishes Chang said.
The SPLM also said that border demarcation process is not complete which prevents the south from adding people which will impact power sharing formula. Moreover the southern group said the war in Darfur will impede the conduct of census and as such will only be partial.
Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) condemned the decision by Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) to suspend elections in the South.
The JEM official accused the NCP of insisting on conducting a census in Darfur despite the millions of refugees and displaced people scattered throughout Chad and Sudan.
“They know Darfur is hostile to NCP and will vote against them in the elections so they are not very interested in Darfuris being part of it” Hussein said.
“The timing of the census doesn’t matter. What matters is the regime’s interest in peace. As far as Darfur IDP’s are concerned their priority is to return home safely. They will resist any attempts to conduct census in the camps” he added.
The SLM leader called for a moratorium on census throughout Sudan saying the environment “is not constructive”.
“The SPLM spoke of security concerns in the South that prevent the census. Needless to say that insecurity is prevalent in most of Darfur. So we are talking about a nationwide problem. The issue of security cannot be taken piecemeal. All Sudanese people whether they live in the north or east are entitled to the right of feeling safe” Al-Nur said.
The rebel leader noted that the Sudanese government excluded the disputed Halayeb triangle on Egypt borders as well as areas in Darfur and the South.
“I urge all political parties to take a holistic approach to Sudan’s problems. There are persistent strategic long term issues that should not be used as tactical moves for short term gains” he added.
The question of whether Darfur should be included in the census stirred a great deal of controversy. The government insists that it can be conducted in most of the war ravaged region.
However the leader of the Umma party Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi, largest Northern opposition party, as well as Minni Arcua Minnawi, senior Sudanese presidential assistant say that census cannot be conducted in Darfur.
The census is a prerequisite in terms of easing voter registration. Under the peace deal, its results will also redraw or confirm the ratio of central power-sharing between the north and south.
The SPLM signed a peace deal in January 2005 with the government of the National Congress Party in January 2005 ending two decades of civil war in Southern Sudan. The peace deal made the SPLM, the ruling party in the south and the NCP the ruling party in the north.
In 2011, southerners will be asked to vote in a referendum on whether they want to be independent or remain part of Sudan.
(ST)