Sudan’s Bashir offered concessions to South on referendum

September 6, 2009 (LONDON) — The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir offered the Southern ex-rebels concessions that could pave the way for their secession in 2011, but at a price.

The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) are deadlocked over the referendum law that would set the modalities and logistics required to conduct the self-determination vote by Southerners.

Both sides disagree over the percentage of votes required to call the referendum a pro-independence, the population of Southerners allowed to participate and the post-independence arrangements including the share of national debt to be carried over by the South.

An official in the Sudanese presidency who asked not to be named told Sudan Tribune that Bashir met with his First Vice President Salva Kiir in Khartoum prior to the SPLM political bureau meetings in Juba last month.

Bashir, according to the official, said that the NCP would make “radical” concessions on all outstanding issues on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) up to and including the referendum.

In return, the SPLM would agree to endorse Bashir as the presidential candidate in the April 2010 elections. The SPLM has not made any decisions on their nominee to run for the president.

Another official at the SPLM political bureau confirmed to Sudan Tribune that Bashir’s offer was discussed during their August meetings, but was turned down on the grounds that “the NCP cannot be trusted to follow through on their promises.”

Sudanese political parties are working behind the scenes to explore possible alliances for the first free presidential and parliamentary elections held since 1986.

A handful of Sudanese opposition parties are convening in Juba for a meeting sponsored by the SPLM next week to discuss elections and democratic transformation.

The Juba conference was boycotted by the NCP which said the documents that will be discussed were crafted by the opposition parties “who want to put on trial twenty years of Bashir’s rule.”

Bashir who faces an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the NCP candidate for the presidency.

Some observers say that the Sudanese head of state seeks reelection primarily for the purpose of enforcing legitimacy internally and externally in the wake of the arrest warrant issued earlier this year.

(ST)