Sudan’s NCP chides Darfur peace partner over remarks

November 13, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday blasted the statements made by the head of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) faction Minni Arcua Minnawi and described him as someone who is implementing foreign agenda.

The Darfur rebel leader who was the major figure to sign the peace agreement in Abuja more than four years ago, have grown disgruntled over the years with the NCP and ended up residing in the South Sudan capital of Juba. He has yet to retain his title as a senior presidential assistant after being stripped of it following April’s general elections.

Minnawi was reported as saying by local media that the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) is a “failed maneuvering tactic” and that the negotiations underway in Doha with other rebel factions are nothing but a “negotiation tactic”.

The head of organizations bureau at the NCP Qutbi Al-Mahdi told the government run Sudanese media Center (SMC) website that Minnawi’s statements lack credibility and objective political discourse.

Al-Mahdi added that Minnawi is now “hostage” to internal and external agendas after losing presence on the ground in Darfur. Furthermore, the NCP official said that the ex-rebel leader failed to implement his end of the DPA and the security arrangements in particular.

He also mocked Minnawi saying that he is seeking support from the semi-autonomous Government of South Sudan (GoSS) to re-launch armed rebellion against the central government describing him as a “rejected personality” from the government and all negotiating parties in Darfur.

Minnawi’s faction has been hit by defections and a series of attempts by his aides to remove him which he blamed on NCP.

As head of the Darfur transitional authority Minnawi has also not been able to establish a suitable environment for the implementation of the deal on the ground with the local authorities. The newly elected governors in the region reportedly have bad relations with him and refuse to work with him.

Talks with the NCP on the participation of his faction in the national and regional governments have also failed to reach an agreement.

The SLM-MM, did not take part in the general elections of April this year. The national electoral board refused to allow the participation of the former rebels because they failed to integrate his military wing in the army. However some members of the SLM-MM ran as independent candidates.

Observers say that Khartoum lost interest in Minnawi and is more focused on reaching a deal with SLM led by Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) headed by Khalil Ibrahim.

(ST)