Saturday’s conference obstructs efforts for comprehensive dialogue in Sudan, SPLM-N says
October 9, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) warned that the national dialogue conference will crush efforts to reach a negotiated settlement in the country, and asserted that the holdout opposition groups will reject any attempt to enrol them in al-Bashir’s process.
The opposition groups and the armed groups- including SPLM-N which fights the regime in Blue Nile and South Kordofan-demand to hold pre-dialogue meeting under the auspices of the African Union to discuss procedural matters related to the process and the implementation of the confidence building measures.
In remarks released on the eve of the opening session of the conference in Khartoum, SPLM-N secretary-general Yasir Arman said this meeting will obstruct the ‘national constitutional dialogue’ process forever and will enhance differences and divisions, destroying the last chance for a comprehensive peaceful solution in Sudan.
He further warned that al-Bashir should not consider Saturday’s meeting as the kick-off of the ‘national constitutional dialogue’ and to think that all what they have to do is to enrol and absorb the opposition and civil society groups during the upcoming three months.
“The large political and civil forces will rather refuse to be enrolled because enrolment attempts in themselves are a major cause of war and political division over the past 26 years. And this is what we want to overcome,” he said.
The SPLM-N secretary-general further alluded to messages that the Sudanese government sent to some international actors expressing its readiness to participate in a comprehensive meeting to discuss a cessation of hostilities after the 15th of October 2014.
These statements about the enrolment will hinder the whole process and would cause irreparable harm to the messages that the government sent to some regional and international actors about the pre-dialogue meeting, he said.
“We sincerely wish that the regime agrees to a new preparatory process, and tomorrow’s meeting would not lead to new obstacles,” he added.
The Sudanese opposition forces during the past days issued a series of press statements denouncing the lack of freedoms and necessary conditions for the process, and announced their refusal to participate in the meeting.
Also, the alliance of Sudanese Civil Society Initiative (CSI), which is a signatory of the Sudan Call, issued a statement rejecting the dialogue meeting and reiterated its demand for an inclusive and comprehensive process for peace and democratic reforms.
Different officials from the few opposition parties that participate in the conference said they will use Saturday’s meeting to demand the implementation of the confidence building measures endorsed by the African Union Peace and Security Council .
In a press conference held on Thursday, the presidential assistant Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid said the rebel groups should be held responsible for the suffering of civilians affected by the conflict because they refuse peace.
He further referred to a statement issued by three rebel groups from Darfur region after a meeting with the Chadian president Idriss Deby, saying they say they want to internationalize the dialogue by rejecting the chairmanship of President al-Bashir.
(ST)