SPLM-N al-Hilu delaying humanitarian assistance; says Sudan’s negotiator
December 18, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese presidential aide Faisal Hassan Ibrahim who is also the government chief negotiator accused the SPLM-N led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu of delaying the much-needed humanitarian assistance for what described as “irrational” reasons.
On September 27, Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) agreed on the UN proposal to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in the rebel-controlled areas in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.
At the time, the government said it delayed its response until that date because they were waiting for the SPLM-N’s response to the U.S. proposal which is part of the initiative.
“Those who have an external agenda are those who refuse to achieve peace,” said Faisal who was addressing from Kadugli, capital of South Darfur state, in a speech before the opening session of the Peace Promotion Council meetings.
He further accused the SPLM-N al-Hilu of holding civilians hostage in the rebel controlled-areas and preventing children from getting their rights to vaccination and education.
Also, he said that the armed group is delaying its acceptance of the delivery of humanitarian relief “from the inside the country for illogical reasons”.
The SPLM-N al-Hilu Secretary General Amar Deldoom said that they want the humanitarian assistance to be delivered through internal and external corridors as provided in the Bürgenstock agreement which they signed with the government in 2002.
Before the split of the SPLM-N, the rebel officials said they want at least 20 per cent of the relief to be transported from outside the country through a humanitarian corridor directly to the landlocked rebel-areas of pointing such corridor will allow them also to transport ill or wounded fighters to outside the country for treatment.
The government refused the demand saying they would use it also to bring arms and ammunition.
The Sudanese official described the leaders “self-centred” because they deprive the new generation of the education they have received in the most prestigious universities, noting that the SPLM-N chairman Abdel Aziz al-Hilu studied with him at the University of Khartoum.
He further said that peace is “a strategic choice for the government not for tactical purposes” and renewed his call for the SPLM-N al-Hilu to join the African Union-mediated peace process.
The SPLM-N al-Hilu says they do not accept the peace plan defined by the government and the former SPLM-N negotiating delegation.
The rebel group proposes to put aside the humanitarian and security files and to resume talks with the political agenda, but Khartoum refuses the proposition.
(ST)