Sudanese opposition figures say country is on the brink of collapse
September 20, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Several Sudanese opposition figures have painted a bleak picture of the situation in the country, saying Sudan is witnessing a deep political crisis and is on the verge of the collapse.
She said the government policies weakened the state’s institutions including the Sudanese army, pointing to the great powers enjoyed by the National Intelligence and Security forces (NISS) at the expense of the police and the army.
Al-Mahdi emphasised that the NCP could no longer control NISS, stressing that change in Sudan is inevitable in light of the failure of the state to perform its necessary functions.
The NUP official added that the regime seeks to entangle political forces into participation in the government in order to share responsibility of its failures, warning that cosmetic changes within the regime will have serious implications, including extreme violence and intervention of international powers.
She further noted the national dialogue began to witness a shift towards making fundamental change in the regime, saying that elections as a tool for achieving peaceful resolution was aborted since 2010 elections.
Al-Mahdi underscored the need to adhere to national dialogue and those who seek to manipulate it, considering it the only hope for achieving peaceful transformation in the country.
The leading figure at the National Movement for Change (NMC), Mohamed Mahjoub Haroun, for his part, said Sudan is going through a state of “frustration” and the Sudanese people are desperate and have lost hope, pointing to the lack of security and stability in the country.
He noted the negative changes in the Sudanese society including the racial, regional, and class divisions besides the increase in crime rate and the greater tendency towards violence, pointing to the high cost of Sudan’s ill-relation with the international community.
Haroun warned that Sudan is on the brink of the abyss due to corruption and failure to achieve renaissance, pointing the national dialogue produced two trends including the one which is occupied with “change” of power and the other which seeks to “overthrow” the regime through popular uprising.
He also pointed to existence of two trends within the regime, saying some are scared from the forces representing the marginalised people and others believe the regime has come to an end.
The NMC figure underscored the need for reaching a compromise in order to make the necessary change through a genuine dialogue, warning the country would fall in the abyss if such a move was not realised.
The deputy chairman of the RNM, Hassan Rizg, warned the government against manipulation of the national dialogue process, stressing that dialogue is progressing well.
He called for adoption of the positive items included in the Paris Declaration signed between the NUP and the rebel alliance of the Sudan Revolutionary Forces (SRF).
Rizg further accused the NCP of using government money to finance its conferences.
“All NCP conferences are funded by billions [of government money] not members subscriptions [or financial contributions],” he added
Last January, Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir unveiled a national dialogue initiative aimed at holding an comprehensive conference on a new constitution and ways to end the armed conflicts in the Blue Nile, South Kordofan and Darfur.
The NUP, led by al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, and the RNM, led by Ghazi Salah al-Din al-Attabani, suspended their participation in the national dialogue before the latter rejoined the process.
The opposition alliance of the National Consensus Forces (NCF) and the rebel SRF refused to join the dialogue from the outset.
On 8 August, the NUP and SRF signed the “Paris Declaration”, which calls for ending the wars and engaging in a genuine national dialogue aimed at restoring democracy in Sudan.
(ST)