SRF rebels seek France’s support to comprehensive solution in Sudan
November 7, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The leaders of Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) announced from Paris they seek France and European support to bring Khartoum government to engage comprehensive negotiations for peace and democracy in Sudan.
The visit takes place as the African Union last October urged Darfur rebel to join a peace process aiming to end the 10-year conflict and start talks with the government on the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), threatening to take “measures” against them.
Also, another African Union panel led by the former South African president Thabo Mbeki failed to bring the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N to the negotiating table in order to end a two-year conflict in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan. Khartoum and the rebels disagree on the framework of talks.
SRF leader Agar told reporters that their visit intends to explain the position of the alliance for the need for a comprehensive solution in Sudan, pointing out that “The situation in Sudan cannot be reformed. The minimum and the maximum, for us, that this regime leaves power”.
He pointed out they understand that the international community did not abandoned the Sudanese crisis at the same time can be absorbed by some other “competitive” events. He added that “the question of North-South (Sudan) sometimes also “overshadows the conflict in Sudan”.
Agar said they intend to raise in France and other European countries the deteriorating humanitarian situation which the government uses as political tool amid the silence of the international community.
“We launch a cry to the international community to contribute to stop these humanitarian crimes”, he said.
The leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdel Wahdi Al-Nur who is also a SRF deputy chairman, told reporters that they “arrived in France to explain the vision of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front to resolve the Sudanese crisis”.
Al Nur stressed that the crimes committed against civilians in Sudan are as bad as those committed by the Syria government, accusing Khartoum of continuing “its genocide against civilians” in Darfur and the Two Areas besides the mass killing in Khartoum during the recent protests.
Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) leader Gibril Ibrahim who is also a SRF deputy chairman said they want France and the international community to put pressure on Khartoum to allow humanitarian access to the displaced civilians, stressing that the famine even threatens to spread in IDPs camps in Dafur.
Ibrahim further added they want to reassure the international community that the overthrow of Bashir’s regime would not bring chaos in the country or regional instability. The political and military opposition agree “on the need to bring down the regime, manage the country (during a transitional period) and hand over power to an elected government” he said.
The rebel alliance, following the anti-austerity protests last September, launched a new proposal aiming to reunite the armed and political opposition forces.
Also Sadiq Al-Mahdi leader of the National Umma Party (NUP) had to meet the SRF rebels lsat month to discuss how to change the regime and an agenda for the post-Bashir regime period but the Ugandan government declined to deliver him a visa.
El-Tom Hajo, a leading member of the Democratic Unionist Party who joint the rebel alliance, said the “Sudanese Revolutionary Front is the next alternative in Sudan.
“We have the political and military initiative in the country and now we want to own the diplomatic initiative to denounce this regime and explain its nature before the international community”, he added..
The Sudanese government refuses the rebel demands for a holistic process gathering the rebels, and the political parties. This proposed process requires to discuss a solution for the regional conflicts and the adoption of a democratic and liberal constitution in Sudan.
Khartoum in return proposes separate talks for the rebels before to hold general elections in 2015. But the rebel and opposition parties reject this proposition saying the ruling party always rigged the elections and manipulated the vote.
SPLM-N secretary general and SRF secretary of external relations Yasir Arman said the international community needs to find out a new approach to handle the Sudanese question pointing out that Bashir’s regime signed since 1989 some 43 political agreements but didn’t implement it.
He added that Agar and him met in Kampala with a special envoy dispatched by the AUHIP chairman Thabo Mbeki just before to travel to Paris, adding they explained him that it is time now for Khartoum to implement UN resolution 2046 (2012).
“We expect that France as important actor in the international community should support the comprehensive solution and to voice its concern over the need to protect civilians and to allow humanitarian access to the affected civilians in the war zones”, Arman added.
The AUHIP called on the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N to meet in Addis Ababa on 4 November on sign a cessation of hostilities agreement before to launch a polio vaccination campaign in the rebel held areas in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
However the Sudanese delegation declined the invitation as the Sudan Armed Forces declared an unilateral cessation of hostilities discussed with the UN agencies, African Union and Arab League.
The SPLM-N says only the AUHIP can deal with the political and humanitarian issues in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile as provided in the resolution 2046. The rebel group also demands a negotiated truce saying they do not trust Khartoum’s unilateral measures.
Minni Minnawi the chairman of Sudan Liberation Movement Minnawi, said that France is an important player in the European Union and also backs the International Criminal Court which indicted president Omer Al-Bashir for genocide war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“We want to work with all the parties in order to deliver Bashir who defies justice to the International Criminal Court”, he further stressed.
The press conference was also attended by Ali Al-Haj, a leading figure of the opposition Popular Congress Party who is based in Germany.
Al-Haj welcomed the unity of the armed and political groups and hailed their positive message for unity and peace in Sudan.
“I’m also happy to see all of them here in Europe to explain personality their cause to the European governments”, he added.
Nasar Eldeen Al-Mahdi, former deputy National Umma Party, who joined the SRF, said Hajo and himself joined the rebel alliance because the ruling National Congress Party used to divide Sudanese to maintain its regime in power.
By joining the SRF “We want to say that the problem is not between the Centre and the Periphery but between the forces that struggling for peace and democratic transition and the National Congress Party” he further emphasised.
The visiting delegation met with officials at the French foreign ministry and political parties as well as aid groups.
(ST)