SLM supporters protest in different Sudanese towns against Bashir’s government

April 20, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — The rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur staged a number of protests in different Sudanese towns calling to overthrow the government of president Omer Al-Bashir accused of genocide in Darfur.

The first national demonstrations of the SLM supporters throughout the country took place after failed attempts by youth groups to organize popular uprising against the National Congress Party (NCP) which rules the country since twenty two years.

Sudan Tribune reached protesters in Wad Madani the capitol of the Al Jazirah state, Ad Damazin the capital city of Blue Nile State, Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, Dilling in the northern part of South Kordofan state, and Zalingei in West Darfur.

The protesters said they went out on the street in many Sudanese cities chanting slogans calling for regime change in the country. They also called to hand over president Bashir to the International Criminal Court for his responsibility in Darfur crimes.

Abdel Wahid Al-Nur in a statement sent to Sudan Tribune called on all the “Sudanese political components to ally or to coordinate (with the SLM) and to break the cycle of partisan interests in order to change the regime of the National Islamic Front”.

The SLM leader also called upon the Sudanese regular forces to not respond to the “orders of killing or beating” the protesters and to allow them to demonstrate freely and to protect them.

He further appealed for a national unity government led by his Movement during an interim period to prepare a democratic and secular constitution and to lay out the grounds for a peaceful coexistence with the nascent state in South Sudan.

The protesters said they were four thousands in Nyala and nine hundreds in Wad Madani. They all reported that police forces used tear gas and batons to disperse them. They further claimed that security forces arrested 14 people in Nyala, four in Dilling, two in Madani, and 19 in Zalingei.

Those of Ad Damazin said the police dispersed their protest without arresting any of the 600 hundred protesters. They praised the state government led by the SPLM North Sudan President Malik Agar saying local authorities understand their cause.

Supported by the internally displaced people’s camps in Darfur, Al-Nur boycotts the peace process asking Khartoum to stop violence against civilians and to disarm its militias. Last year he pledged to join the Doha talks but said a general conference of the SLM is necessary to decide on its participation.

Last week Al-Nur launched a call to the United Nations Security Council to impose a no-fly zone in Darfur saying Darfur people deserve to be treated equally as the Libyan civilians.

The SLM national protest is organized one month before a general conference for Darfur stakeholders to be held in Doha. The mediation said the tribal leaders, civil society groups and IDPs representatives will discuss a draft peace agreement negotiated by the government and two rebel movements.

However one of the two rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), said more time is needed to conclude the direct talks with the government over pending issues.

(ST)