SRF rebels endorse new document on how to govern Sudan

October 6, 2012 (KHARTOUM) — Rebel movements members of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) signed on Thursday 4 October a new position paper detailing how Sudan should be governed once the regime of President Omer Al-Bashir is brought down.

SRF rebels signed in November 2011 a founding charter of their alliance in which they speak about the use of all means to topple the regime and to establish a democratic and secular state. They also formed a joint military command and decided to carry out attacks everywhere in Sudan even in Khartoum.

In a ceremony organised in the Ugandan capital Kampala, SRF leaders signed a text called Re-structuring of Sudanese State Document. The 20 page agreement, seen by Sudan Tribune, says there would be an interim period of six years to reorganise the Sudanese state and to provide more powers to the provinces.

The country during the transitional period will be led by a collegial body chaired by a president and the state governors who would be vice-presidents . A women representative will also be appointed as deputy-president .

The government would be composed of the SRF forces, political parties and representatives of youth and students groups.

The document also provides to allocate a 30% share for women in the interim national government.

Dominated by the idea of “failure of the current Sudanese state”, the signed text speaks extensively about the need to give the regions more powers and to establish a federal system in Sudan. But it did not give more indications about the kind of federalism to which it calls.

It provides the need to establish an independent federal authority to decide on the ownership of land. It also speaks about the expulsion of new settlers and to return the land (Hawakir) to its original owners.

The text also calls to establish strategic relations with South Sudan without elaborating on this issue, and to dissolve the security and intelligence services .

Malik Aggar, SRF leader, said the main purpose of this document is to settle “how Sudan can be government” not “who will govern it”. He stressing that they intend through this document to remediate the failure of Sudanese state.

The document was signed by Malik Agar for the SPLM-North, Abdel Wahid Al-Nur, for Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW), Gibril Ibrahim for Justice and Equality Movement and Minni Minnawi for SLM-MM.

The text was also inked by Al-Tom Hajo and Naser Edin Al-Mahdi who are dissident respectively from the Democratic Unionist Party and Umma National Party.

The SRF last June rejected a charter endorsed by the opposition National Consensus Forces inside the country stressing they have to be consulted before to establish such document.

The Sudanese rebel groups said they aim to create one political and military structure and dissolve their groups.

(ST)