SPLMN-Agar proposes to negotiate new framework for peace in Sudan
July 5, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Malik Agar, called to negotiate a new political framework for peace and democratic reforms in Sudan, pointing that the government has broken the African Union Roadmap agreement.
Agar made his call in a letter he handed over to the head of the African Union High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) during a meeting held on Tuesday 4 July.
The failure of the AUHIP-brokered talks for a cessation of hostilities deal and a humanitarian access agreement in August 2016 froze the peace process, as the government in Khartoum went on with its internal national dialogue.
In October of the same year, the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and its allied forces held the closing session of the political process and endorsed the recommendations in a text labelled “National Document”.
In his letter seen by Sudan Tribune, Agar said the government undermined the Roadmap Agreement by conducting unilaterally their own national dialogue.
The government-led dialogue is “neither credible nor inclusive and therefore the (Cessation of Hostilities) COH document (proposed by the AUHIP) currently has no political process to anchor into, saying this there is a need to a new political process,” he said.
The rebel leader was flanked by the SPLMN-Agar Secretary General Yasir Arman and the group’s Spokesperson Mubarak Ardol. Also participated in the meeting AUHIP Co-chairman Abdul Salam Abu Bakr, UN Special Envoy for Sudan Nicholas Haysom.
Agar and his delegation are in Addis Ababa to meet African leaders who participated in the African Union annual summit. They further met with officials from Norway, Germany UN experts and the AU Peace and Security members.
The letter said the government should first admit the need for a comprehensive process to address the root causes of the crisis.
“The government and the opposition shall agree on a declaration of principles that should constitute bases of resolving the Sudan crisis and usher the country into a new transitional political arrangement,” it further reads.
Referring to a recent call by President Omer al-Bashir for the holdout opposition groups to join the constitutional process which is part of the national dialogue recommendations, he said it illustrates the government lack of seriousness.
“It is the standard NCP behaviour of buying time into the next elections 2020.”
HUMANITARIAN TALKS
Agar reiterated the readiness of his group to engage in talks for a humanitarian cessation of hostilities.
Also, he underscored the fact the SPLM-N now is divided into two groups and expressed readiness to form a joint delegation with the SPLMN-Hilu for the talks for a humanitarian truce which requires a COH agreement.
Nonetheless, he added that the joint delegation depends on an agreement between the two factions.
Earlier this year, the SPLM-N has split into two groups over the demand of self-determination made by its former deputy chairman Abdel Aziz al-Hilu who is now the leader of the other faction.
(ST)