Sudan’s opposition vows to abandon peace talks if elections go ahead
March 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The secretary general of the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Yasir Arman, said the opposition will turn its back on peace talks with the government if it insists on holding elections in April.
Arman, who is also the secretary of foreign relations at the rebel umbrella Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), stressed the opposition forces would abandon the constitutional national dialogue if elections were held in April, saying the move will practically abort the recently signed Berlin Declaration.
The “Sudan Call” forces, including the opposition alliance National Consensus Forces (NCF), SRF, National Umma Party (NUP) and civil society groups, issued last week the Berlin Declaration where they expressed their readiness to discuss with Khartoum government the requirements and procedures of the national dialogue in a preparatory meeting.
Arman told Al-Taghyeer website that Berlin Declaration will practically end on 13 April if president Omer Hassan al-Bahsir extends his presidency for a new term through elections, pointing the constitutional national dialogue presented by the “Sudan Call” forces represents the last opportunity for resolving Sudan’s problems.
He underscored the preparatory meeting for discussing requirements and procedures of the national dialogue is conditional upon stopping elections according to Berlin Declaration.
“If elections were held, the meeting wouldn’t convene and the opposition will focus its efforts to overthrow the regime through a peaceful popular uprising,” he said.
On Wednesday, the NCP said it has not yet taken a decision on the declaration but stressed they will deeply study it.
Meanwhile, Arman ruled out resumption of peace talks between the government and the SPLM-N on Two Areas as long as the former insists on holding elections in April, revealing they would develop a new vision to accommodate the developments if Bashir chose to renew his presidency for another five years.
South Kordofan and neighbouring Blue Nile state have been the scene of violent conflict between the SPLM-N and government forces since 2011.
The two sides failed to sign a peace deal to stop the war in South Kordofan and Blue Nile following nine rounds of talks in Addis Ababa under the auspices of the African Union.
Arman said they will use the UN Security Council resolutions to reject peace talks with the Sudanese regime on the bases that it is an illegitimate regime and its head is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“We will call on activists in Europe and North America to escalate their activities and demand imposition of a no-fly zone over Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile to protect civilians and trial of regime leaders besides launching a campaign against the war across Sudan with the participation of periphery forces,” he added.
He pointed to the success of the campaign to boycott elections launched by the opposition alliance National Consensus Forces (NCF) last month, saying it should lead to a series of campaigns up until overthrowing the regime.
The SPLM-N secretary general further called on Sudanese living abroad to provide financial resources and diplomatic support to achieve the popular uprising, saying that unity of the opposition forces is not only necessary for toppling the regime but also to avoid dismantling of the country and saving its social fabric.
Arman said that peace is a strategic objective for the opposition, pointing that international mobilisation and external work to lay siege to the regime complement each other.
“We are not warmongers but war was imposed upon us,” he said.
He denied that Sudanese people are not responding to opposition calls and the various charters signed by opposition forces abroad, pointing to the crowds which attended trial of opposition leaders Farouk Abu Issa and Amin Mekki Madani last week.
Arman also said the opposition suffers from significant shortfall in independent media outlets.
(ST)