Sudan rebel umbrella calls to develop political charter for post-regime phase
January 28, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) led by Minni Minnawi has urged the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) and the opposition forces to develop the Declaration of Freedom and Change into a political charter that determines the features of the transitional period following the removal of the regime of President Omer al-Bashir.
The SPA is an umbrella organization of independent professional unions spearheading the anti-government protests that have rocked the country for six weeks,
Earlier this month, the SPA and the opposition groups including the National Consensus Alliance, Sudan Call and the Unionist Gathering launched the Declaration of Freedom and Change which calls on al-Bashir to step down and the removal of his regime.
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Monday, the SRF deputy chief for information Al-Hadi Yahia Idris said an agreement on the basic issues including the length of the transitional period, tasks of its government and who would participate in it would boost the morale of the revolutionaries.
He added that the boost is essential to ensure the continuity of the revolution during this crucial phase as well as to reassure the regional and international powers that the coming change wouldn’t adversely impact on their interests in Sudan.
The SRF also called on the Sudan Armed Forces to take the side of the Sudanese people and protect the peaceful protesters against the government militias, demanding it to respect the choice of the people and reject any minor cosmetic change that maintains the continuity of the regime.
“Accordingly, the SRF is asking the national army to protect the revolution and its gains and to facilitate the smooth transition of power,” read the statement.
It, also, demanded president al-Bashir to step down without any conditions, saying the latter’s clinging to power is causing the killing of more people every day.
The SRF further reassured the leaders of the government that the coming regime would maintain their rights according to the constitution and the law.
It is noteworthy that the head of the Sudan Call al-Sadiq al-Mahdi on Friday said the Sudanese opposition forces ended the drafting of the “Freedom and Change Charter” including a government programme for a transitional period following the removal of the regime of President Omer al-Bashir.
He pointed out that extensive consultations have been held on a draft Charter which is currently being presented to about 20 political and civil society groups.
According to Sudan Tribune sources, the Charter has been so far discussed within the Sudan Call and would then be presented to the opposition forces including the SPA, National Consensus Forces and the Unionists Gathering.
The proposed Charter contains a package of demands and measures, including the resignation of al-Bashir’s government, formation of a national transitional government tasked with achieving a just and comprehensive peace, guaranteeing human rights and freedoms, implementing an economic programme to alleviate the suffering of the people through alternative reform programs and hold a constitutional conference paving the way at the end of the four-year period for general elections.
The Sudan Call, which was established in Addis Ababa on 3 December 2014, includes the National Umma Party, the rebel SRF factions, Sudan Call parties inside Sudan and the Civil Society Initiative (CSI).
SRF is a coalition established in 2011 between rebel groups in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile including the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sudan Liberation Movement/SLM-AW led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nour and SLM-MM led by Minni Minnawi and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N).
Divergences appeared within the SRF groups in October 2015 when the three groups from Darfur region, JEM, SLM-AW and SLM-MM, issued a statement announcing the appointment of the leader of JEM, Gibril Ibrahim, as chairman of the rebel umbrella.
The SRF split in October 2015 into two factions one headed by Gibril Ibrahim and the second by Malik Agar after a difference over the chairmanship of the rebel alliance.
In October 2017, the SRF Gibril held its general conference in Paris. The rebel alliance leaders unanimously elected Minni Minnawi as a new chairman for the umbrella organization.
Last July, the two factions of the SRF agreed to reunify the rebel umbrella, saying the reunification decision was announced after extensive discussions, comprehensive review of the past experiences and the extrapolation of the present and future tasks of the revolutionary action.
(ST)