Sudan parliament wants more support of paramilitary forces

September 3, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese parliament has called for raising the state of alert and opening the Popular Defense Forces (PDF) camps to accommodate the Mujahideen (holy fighters) in preparation for a possible military attacks carried out by the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebel coalition in the Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile, and Darfur during the rainy season.

The head of the parliamentary subcommittee on Labor, Administration, and Grievances, Al-Fatih Izz Al-Din, accused the armed opposition of seeking to drag the federal government into a zero-sum conflict, pointing that negotiations with the rebel Sudan People Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) would only be hold on the basis of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

He predicted in press statements following summoning of several PDF commanders to the parliament on Tuesday, the outbreak of military confrontations with the SRF, vowing to break the back of the rebellion.

Izz Al-Din, announced that PDF training camps are ready to receive the Mujahideen who fought in previous battles, saying that the parliament was reassured that all the necessary preparations were made.

He said that PDF will support the army’s mission to protect the country and maintain its stability but at the same time he acknowledged the shortage in their numbers, demanding the finance ministry to allocate more funds for the PDF.

The SRF is a coalition between the rebel groups in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

They include Darfur rebels: Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sudan Liberation Movement Abdul Wahed (SLM-AW), Sudan Liberation Movement – Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM/) and rebels from South Kordofan and Blue Nile States : Sudan People’s Liberation Movement- Northern Sector (SPLM-N).

(ST)