Constitutional amendments dash hopes for peace in Sudan’s Two Areas: Arman

January 30, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Weeks before a new round of talks between the warring parties in Blue Nile and South Kordofan, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) pointed that the horizon of peace seems as remote as ever due to the recent constitutional amendments.

On 4 January the Sudanese legislators approved a number of constitutional amendments including the appointment of governors by the president, scraping their election by popular vote. The parliament also transformed the security and intelligence apparatus into regular force enabling it to have its own armed force.

“The constitutional amendments have dashed definitively all what was provided in the (interim) constitution and previous peace agreement of 2005. This will directly impact attempts by African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to conclude a framework agreement partly based on the (comprehensive) peace agreement and the agreement of 28 June, 2011,” said SPLM-N secretary-general Yasir Arman on Friday.

“So, we are back to square one, as the constitutional amendments destroyed the all gains of the Two Areas in the 2005peace agreement,” Arman said.

He said that the refusal of the ruling National Congress Party to postpone the elections ruined the national dialogue, adding that the “regime’s insistence on the partial solution destroys any chance to reach an agreement with the SPLM-N”.

Last December, chief mediator Thabo Mbeki postponed talks between the government and the rebel movement over a framework agreement leading to stop hostilities in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. The parties were at odds over ways to link between the process on the Two Areas and the national dialogue which is supposed to be inclusive and comprehensive process.

Since, the government intensified its attacks on the SPLM-N positions as Sudanese military officials in Khartoum vowed to crush the insurgency and to recapture their headquarters in Kauda, South Kordofan. However the rebel fighters resisted the large-scale military campaign.

Nonetheless, Arman, is who the SPLM-N’s chief negotiator, did not rule out its participation in future peace talks with the Sudanese government, saying it would never reject a call for negotiations but also will not accept partial solutions.

“We always go into negotiations in good faith, and willing to provide new ideas, in the framework of a comprehensive solution, with the aim to stop the war. But, we are not ready for any partial solution, and we will negotiate and fight to repel regime’s aggression,” he said.

He further disclosed that they will meet with the AUHIP chief on Saturday for consultations on the new round of talks.

“We received an invitation to consult with President Mbeki who had sent a 15-page letter to the two chief negotiators including a summary of the positions of the two parties and new ideas,” he said.

The meeting comes after a series of meeting the chief mediator held in Khartoum with the Sudanese officials and opposition parties. Arman said it also comes after their demand to treat the parties with equality.

Sudan’s information minister, Ahmed Balal Osman, said on Wednesday the government has accepted to resume peace talks with the SPLM-N next month, but he didn’t give a date for the meeting.

(ST)