Sudanese opposition calls on South Sudan to withdraw from Heglig
April 16, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – Leaders of Sudan’s mainstream opposition parties have added their voices to calls for the immediate withdrawal of South Sudan from Heglig and cessation of hostilities between Khartoum and Juba.
Monday’s meeting, held over three hours at the headquarters of the Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) in Omdurman, Khartoum’s sister-city, was attended by all leaders of the NCF’s members except Al-Mahdi who was represented by the NUP’s newly-elected secretary-general Ibrahim al-Amin and his assistant Mariam al-Sadiq.
The NCF’s statement condemned South Sudan’s occupation of Heglig and called on Juba to withdraw its troops immediately. It also expressed rejection to the war, saying the conflict will derail efforts to resolve outstanding issues between the two countries through negotiations.
Already divided over how to best deal with the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), NCF parties found themselves in a tight spot last week when Khartoum declared mobilisation against South Sudan’s occupation of Heglig.
Haunted by the opposition’s previous war-time alignment to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in South Sudan during the Sudanese civil war from 1983-2005. Now the SPLM is the ruling party in newly independent nation. Before Sudan’s partition last year, some NCP officials made a number of threats to crackdown on “traitors” and what the describe as “the fifth column.”
NCF’s members said in their statement that they had also agreed to reject the NCP’s accusatory approach of describing patriotic parties and individuals as traitors and a “fifth column”.
They also said that the NCP bears direct responsibility for failing to preserve the country’s territorial integrity as well as for the deteriorating economic situation due to its policies of focusing on the petroleum sector at the neglect of others.
NCF leaders said in their statement that they’re planning to meet again in a week time to discuss a detailed work plan on how to stop the war and improve their capacity “for comprehensive change of the regime and arrangements for the replacement.”
The absence of the NUP’s leader Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi from the opposition meeting fuels speculations that he is still at odds with Al-Turabi and other figures despite last week’s assertions by the NCF’s chairman Farouq Abu Issa that their disagreements with Al-Mahdi are over.
The essence of Al-Mahdi’s discord with his allies in the NCF is regime change. Whereas Al-Turabi and other NCF factions remain committed to the goal of a radical revolution to topple the NCP, Al-Mahdi maintained a stance opposing what he sometimes calls “chaotic” regime change and advocating dialogue with the NCP.
NCF parties are likely to be under pressure due to the NCP’s war-time accusations and fears that the conflict with South Sudan will justify the government in increasing its crackdown on opposition activists.
(ST)