Al-Mahdi vows to establish large political alliance to achieve peace and democracy
August 6, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Leader of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) al-Sadig al-Mahdi has pledged to launch the largest political coalition to achieve comprehensive peace and full democratic transformation in Sudan.
Last March, the Sudanese government signed a Roadmap Agreement for peace and dialogue proposed by the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP).
Sudan Call groups rejected the Roadmap saying it excludes the other opposition groups, didn’t address some confidence building measures like political freedoms and release of political detainees and prisoners.
Following five months of reluctance, the Sudan Call forces decided to sign the Roadmap, saying its reservations on the peace documents have been met.
The signing ceremony is expected to take place in Addis Ababa on August 8th.
Al-Mahdi said although the government-led dialogue was not comprehensive but it has achieved some items of the national agenda advocated by the opposition, pointing the Roadmap would pave the way for holding an inclusive dialogue to achieve peace, democratic transformation and the national constitutional conference.
He said that issues pertaining to ending the war should be negotiated abroad between the government and the rebel groups while agenda of the peace agreement must be discussed inside Sudan after implementing the confidence-building measures.
“This is a consensual approach to establish a new regime that is capable of building the nation under the shadow of the just and comprehensive peace and the full democratic transformation” he said.
He pointed that they agreed to endorse the Roadmap in order to achieve the abovementioned objectives, saying they intend to make the signing event a national celebration with the participation of several national figures.
The NUP leader added that Sudan is at crossroads, saying the Sudanese people have a rich heritage of achieving consensus during the major historical events.
He pointed to the consensus that has been achieved during the independence battle against the British rule, mentioning the popular uprisings of October 1964 and April 1985.
Al-Mahdi addressed the holdout opposition who refused to sign the Roadmap, saying most of the conflicts in the world during the twentieth century have been resolved through dialogue.
It is noteworthy that some parties within the opposition umbrella National Consensus Forces (NCF) including the Sudanese Communist Party, Arab Ba’ath Party (ABP), the Unified Democratic Unionist Party and the Nasserite Socialist Party refuse to endorse the peace plan, saying it wouldn’t make a real change in the structure of the regime.
He stressed if they failed to achieve the national agenda through dialogue, they would resort to the popular uprising.
The veteran leader further underscored that their goal is to establish the largest political coalition in order to achieve comprehensive and just peace and full democratic transformation.
He said the agreement among Sudanese people on issues of peace, governance and constitution would yield foreign benefits including the lift of sanctions, cancelling the external debt and dealing positively with the resolution of the UN Security Council.
Al-Mahdi called on the Sudanese people to support the national dialogue and its requirements, saying the legitimate national objectives including ending the war and building peace, establishing the good governance and achieving development and social justice would be accomplished whatever the means.
(ST)