Sudanese rebels welcome opposition charter but say it is incomplete
July 6, 2012 (PARIS) – The Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) supports the political charter signed by the Sudanese opposition inside the country but more consultations are needed to finalise a comprehensive deal for the post-Bashir regime, said rebel leaders.
The Charter underlines the legitimate political and economic demands of Darfurians but also speaks about the accountability for the war crimes in western Sudan. It further supports South Kordofan and Blue Nile rights for more participation in the central government and to adjust the situation of their military according to security arrangements.
Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) and the other rebel groups members of the SRF say they are disappointed by the text, as the opposition did not consider them as equal partners in the post Bashir-regime period.
The rebel groups said the opposition parties in Khartoum did not understand the need to reshape the Sudanese state and to put an end to the vicious cycle of political failure where the centre continues to marginalise the peripheral regions in the political process.
“We welcome the charter and the efforts the opposition invested to conclude it particularly under the current critical juncture in the country,” said Malik Agar SRF leader and SPLM-N chairman in a meeting with the Sudanese community in Paris on Thursday evening.
“But let us say this charter does not include all the Sudanese opposition. More consultations should take place to finalise a comprehensive agreement for a true regime change in Sudan,” he added.
“The (National) Consensus Forces cannot say we elaborated a political charter. Come and tell us what do you want,” Agar said.
SPLM-N Secretary Yasir Arman spoke extensively about the opportunities the Sudanese people had missed to forge a state reflecting the cultural and ethical diversity of the country, and said that the approach of the charter is not promising.
“We welcome the Charter and support it but we have to say it remains incomplete,” said Arman. “You cannot climb a tree and ask people what they want,” he added.
The SRF rebels believe that the opposition charter should be elaborated jointly by the two sides in way to acknowledge their participation in the struggle against the regime but also to take into account, in a visible way, their political demands.
Darfur rebels who share the SPLM-N point of view say that the Sudanese opposition are behaving with an old mentality, they stress that SRF should not allow them to keep doing so and “brush aside our long years of struggle”.
Yasir Arman said they proposed to the opposition in Khartoum to reach a joint political agreement and to sign an identical text at the same time in Kaoda, South Kordofan and the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
He also praised youth and women organisations for their important participation in the protests in Sudan adding that they should be represented in the post-National Congress Party (NCP) regime.
Sadiq Al-Mahdi, leader of the National Umma Party (NUP), says he wants the ruling NCP to participate in an inclusive conference to discuss peace and a democratic transition in the country.
Mahdi emphasised that peaceful defiance through civil disobedience, sit-ins, and protests can force the regime to give the power to people without violence. He also says they will keep rebels away from the regime change process and avoid to the repetition of the Syrian situation.
Many activists said that the security services have told them, before releasing them from detention, that if they continue to protest and “create chaos” in the country it will push the rebels to occupy different parts of the country and to attack Khartoum’s population.
(ST)