Sudanese opposition group says U.S. work to maintain Bashir’s regime

February 25, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The opposition National Consensus Forces (NCF) Saturday accused the United States of leading an international plot through the African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki to maintain the regime of President Omer al-Bashir.

The alliance of left parties which comprises the Sudanese Communist Party and several small groups rejects the ongoing efforts by the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) for a negotiated settlement to end the war and achieve democratic reforms in Sudan. Instead, they call to overthrow the regime through a popular uprising.

The African mechanism was supported by the former U.S. Special Envoy, Donald Booth, who during the two past years worked hard to normalise relations with Khartoum and at the same time to bring the government and armed groups to end the war and reach an inclusive peace agreement.

In a statement released Saturday, the NCF said they “kept watching the international plan led by the United States to impose a political settlement through the so-called soft landing that keeps the regime and its policies, and to enlist some opposition parties to participate in its corrupt power”.

“The gravity of (the U.S.-led) scheme that it threatens the unity of what remains of the country, stability and sovereignty, with the continuation of the ruling regime and it failed policies.”

The opposition NCF was part of the Sudan Call forces which is involved in the African Union led process but gradually some groups led by the SCP walked out of the alliance while others led by the Sudanese Congress Party continue to part of the process.

The NCF stressed that it had no choice but to topple the regime as an entry point to resolve the country’s crises, according to his statement.

It further went to say that the cost of the regime maintenance is much higher than the cost of overthrowing it through civilian disobedience and popular uprising.

The opposition alliance is seen as weakened and isolated from its bases by the security apparatus during the 28-year-old regime. However, the leaders of the alliance say they have succeeded to reorganise their organisations and prepare to confront the regime peacefully.

An NCF leading member, Mohamed Mahjoub, told reporters on Saturday that despite repression, they formed Intifada and resistance committees at the level of neighbourhoods and all sectors in the capital and provinces, and established contact with the Sudanese Diaspora abroad.

(ST)