Holdout group says government has no vision for peace in Sudan

April 15, 2020 (KHARTOUM) – The holdout Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) said that the transitional government does not have a vision for peace, in a reaction to the government’s announcement of a peace conference.

On Sunday, the government announced that a national peace conference would be held inside the country in June, with the participation of all Sudanese parties.

“I do not think that Sudan’s ruling partners have a vision for peace. Their views are similar to the initiatives of the ousted al-Bashir’s regime. They aim at reaching a partial settlement and sharing power, instead of addressing the root causes of the crisis, said Mohamed Abdel-Rahman al-Nayer, in statements to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

“Peace should be comprehensive for all components of Sudan, without limiting it to government and opposition,” he further said.

The holdout group refused to join the Juba process for peace and Sudan and declared that it would launch an initiative for a comprehensive conference for peace inside Sudan and the return of its exiled leader to the country.

But, the group recently said the coronavirus pandemic forced them to postponement the initiative for the time being.

The spokesman suspected that the transitional government intends to steal the Movement’s initiative for a national peace conference, with the aim of using it to maintain the current situation.

“This kind of thinking will not achieve peace. If the government is serious about achieving sustainable peace that addresses the root causes of the political crises, let them support the movement’s initiative,” he said.

Asked whether it is too early to speak about the failure of the government forthcoming conference, he said they have nothing to offer.

“We learnt this from the fruit of their deeds. This initiative is intended to circumvent the requirements of true peace”.

(ST)