SPLM-N Rift: Al-Hilu faction welcomes army’s support for its leader
June 18, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdel Aziz l-Hilu Sunday issued a statement welcoming the support of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N) to his leadership.
“This is a positive step in the right direction to correct the course of the revolution. It is not a coup, as claimed by the sacked (leaders),” said the SPLM-N al-Hilu Spokesperson Arnu Ngutulu Lodi in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Sunday.
He said that the decisions to appoint al-Hilu and to remove Malik Agar and Yasir Arman from their positions were made by the SPLM-N structures in the Nuba Mountains area and the Blue Nile state. He further pointed to the “widespread support” of al-Hilu among the SPLM-N membership and supporters.
Observers wonder why the military command decided to support al-Hilu but at the same time requests him to return to the Nuba Mountains within 10 days and gives him one month to hold the general conference.
Also in their letter of support, the military also reassured al-Hilu and dismissed the “inaccurate reports” he received about the situation on the grounds.
In his statement, Lodi said al-Hilu is genuinely disinterested in power and contributed to build a national SPLA-N that fights for all the marginalised in Sudan.
“We warn against any attempt by others to strike at its unity,” he added.
The spokesperson said al-Hilu’s call for the right to self-determination for the Nuba Mountains is a cornerstone of the New Sudan project.
“It is a genuine and democratic right and is in line with the SPLM’s proposal for voluntary unity and the restructuring of the Sudanese state on a new basis in which all Sudanese are equal,” he said.
“This is a programme for all Sudanese. We call on all the forces of change to unite in order to achieve it,” he stressed.
With al-Hilu call for self-determination, analysts said that the rebel leader abandoned the SPLM-N national agenda and wants to focus on the separation of Nuba Mountains from Sudan eventually to join South Sudan.
(ST)