Sudan’s ruling party accuses SPLM-N of succumbing to foreign powers

January 24, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has accused unnamed foreign parties of aborting the informal talks between the government and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N).

The two warring parties Saturday concluded in Berlin their second informal meeting with no sign of progress toward an agreement ending the four year’s conflict in the Two Areas.

NCP leading figure Mustafa Osman Ismail has accused unnamed foreign bodies of thwarting the informal talks, saying the Berlin meeting has revealed the SPLM-N connections to foreign powers.

He pointed that the government launched the national dialogue initiative in order to avoid external intervention in Sudan’s internal affairs, saying the SPLM-N tends to favour its foreign connections over the national agenda.

Ismail told the semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) that dialogue’s doors are still open, calling upon the SPLM-N to catch up with the dialogue and peace process.

He pointed out that the internal dialogue is a pure Sudanese process, underscoring it wouldn’t exclude any political party or armed movement.

For his part, the deputy chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee in the Sudanese parliament Mutwakil Mahmoud al-Tigani said the collapse of the informal talks was a natural result of the SPLM-N unrealistic and impossible demands.

He described the SPLM-N demand for maintaining two armies as “impossible”, saying “no country in the world has two armies”.

On Saturday, the head of the government delegation to the informal meeting Presidential Assistant Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid issued a statement saying the SPLM-N delegation pulled back from previous commitments to join the national dialogue conference in Khartoum.

Hamid further said the SPLM-N relinquished the principle of the unity of the national army, which was the base of an agreement reached during the first informal meeting in Addis Ababa last December.

Al-Tigani further said the rebel movement isn’t serious about the talks, noting the participation of the government in the two rounds of the informal talks underscores its flexibility and seriousness to achieve peace.

It is noteworthy that the NCP-led dialogue conference was inaugurated in Khartoum on October 10th amid large boycott from the major political and armed opposition.

The SPLM-N and the holdout opposition forces call to implement a number of confidence building measures aimed to create a conducive environment before they take part in the internal political process.

(ST)