Rebels call for non-fly zone in Blue Nile, Darfur and S. Kordofan

September 4, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — Darfur rebels today urged international community to impose a no-fly zone and to establish safe corridors to provide civilians, in the Blue Nile, Darfur and Southern Kordofan, with humanitarian assistance. They also urged democratic forces to join them in their efforts to change Bashir’s regime.

The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) who are fighting against the Sudanese government in Darfur since 2003 agreed recently with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) to establish an alliance to overthrow the regime but they are still discussing the place of the religion in the post-Bashir state.

Abdel Wahid al-Nur, leader of a SLM faction and Ahmed Hussein Adam external relations adviser for JEM leader denounced “the aggression” of the Sudanese army on the SPLM-N in the Blue Nile. Both said that the attack is part of a premeditated plan, prepared by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) aiming to spread “chaos and killing” over all the Sudan.

They further said the regime of President Omer Hassan al-Bashir is an obstacle for peace and security not only in Sudan but for the whole region. “This regime is too deformed to be reformed,” said Ahmed Hussein Adam.

Abdel-Wahid who refuses to negotiate with the government since 2006, said “this regime used to dishonour any political agreement it signs and what is happening confirm what he have been saying.”

Abdel-Wahid and Ahmed called upon the United Nations Security Council to impose a no-fly-zone on Blue Nile, Darfur, and Southern Kordofan ” to stop the ongoing aggression against the civilians populations”. They further urged to establish humanitarian corridors and protected zones to to populations caught in violence in the three regions.

The Sudanese government refuses to allow an action by international aid groups or open camps for the civilians displaced by the fight in Blue Nile or Southern Kordofan saying they do not want to repeat the situation of Darfur. Only the government controlled bodies distribute the humanitarian assistance.

On the internal front, Darfur rebels and the SPLM-N are discussing the formation of a political and military coalition to fight the Sudanese regime in Khartoum. The talks are stalled over the issue of religion. The SLM factions insisted particularly on the need for a total separation between the state and religion while JEM says the citizenship should be prioritized.

“The secular state is our vision and ambition” said Abdel Wahid who appealed on the other political forces to share with him this vision and to topple down the regime of the National Congress Party.

“The JEM is now working closely with SPLM and with other resistance movements and the democratic forces to counter the current wave of terror and go further to forge a new inclusive alliance to lead the efforts of the Sudanese for a democratic change,” stressed Ahmed Hussein Adam.

Yasir Arman yesterday said that the SPLM-N would seek to solidify the strategic alliance it forged with Darfur rebel groups. Arman revealed that a meeting took place on Friday between him, the SLM leaders Abdel-Wahid al-Nur and Minni Minnawi and Mansour Abdel Gadir who represented JEM.

The SPLM and Darfur groups called on the other democratic forces in the North Sudan to join them in this alliance. But President al-Bashir who chairs the NCP also sought to mobilize the other political forces. He held a meeting on Sunday with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani, the Umma National Party (UNP) of Sadiq Al-Mahdi and other small forces to brief them on the latest development in the Blue Nile.

Both sides seek to convince the opposition parties to support his position. However, the main Democratic forces particularly, the DUP and UNP reject the military action against the regime but refuse to support Khartoum and demand democratic reforms and a negotiated settlement for Darfur, Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan conflicts.

(ST)