Opposition NCF suspends five parties amid differences over Sudan process

September 21, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The opposition alliance National Consensus Forces (NCF) Wednesday suspended the membership of five groups as a result of the increasing differences over their participation in the African Union-led peace process.

In a statement released late on Wednesday evening, the NCF announced the suspension the Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP), Sudanese Baath Party, Center Gathering Party, Sudanese National Party and Sudanese National Alliance .

“Since last February, the above mentioned parties, participate in the meetings of the Sudan Call and take a number of decisions on the relationship with the Sudan Call without consulting with the NCF,” said the statement.

“They even went to form a independent structure with its organs and political platform,” it added.

Since several months, the coalition of the lest forces has been divided over its participation, within the framework of the opposition umbrella Sudan Call, in the negotiations for a peaceful settlement to end war in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states and Darfur region and a national constitutional dialogue conference.

While the suspended groups were willing to take part in the political process alongside the armed groups and NUP, the other forces including the Sudanese Communist Party say they want the Sudan Call to focus on the regime change agenda and popular uprising.

They believe that the current process would not bring democratic change in Sudan but would be a repetition to previous peace agreements and reinvigorates the regime of President Omer al-Bashir.

However, the left groups said they would reach the other members of the Sudan Call to explain the political and structural developments that troubled the relations between the NCF groups.

The statement reiterated that the NCF “remains one of the main components of the Sudan Call”.

The other NCF members are: National Umma Party (NUP), Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N), Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) , Sudan Liberation Movement- Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM), a faction of the NUP led by Nasreldin al-Mahdi, the eastern Sudan opposition group, the United Popular Front for Liberation and Justice (UPFLJ) and a faction of the Democratic Unionist Party led by Tom Hajo.

(ST)