December 2, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The rebel Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) has called on the various opposition alliances and youth groups that were engaged in the recent civil disobedience to address the international community to demand the ouster of President Omer al-Bashir.

SPLM-N leader Malik Agar (C) his deputy Abdel Aziz al-Hilu (L) and SG Yasir Arman pose for a picture in undisclosed location in the rebel controlled areas in March 2014 (AFP/Getty Photo)

Large segments of the Sudanese people have engaged in a three-day civil disobedience act from 27 to 29 November to protest the recent austerity measures and the lack of freedoms.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Thursday, SPLM-N leadership said “we demand the ouster of al-Bashir and to reach agreement on new transitional arrangements under which the dialogue conference and the constitutional arrangements should be held”.

“We make this demand to the African Union High Implementation Panel, African Union, Arab League, European Union, United States, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the UN Security Council as the sole demand of the Sudanese people,” read the statement.

“We would continue our struggle to achieve the popular uprising and the objectives of 27 November away from the marathons of negotiations and thus we end the discrepancy between the uprising and the negotiations and we rely on the popular uprising as means to achieve the demands of our people,” it added .

The SPLM-N pointed out that it developed a new negotiation stance with the government that includes the ouster of President al-Bashir and the achievement of transitional arrangements agreed upon among the forces of change.

The rebel movement stressed that it wouldn’t negotiate any political issues with the government, saying it will only engage in talks to address the humanitarian situation on the bases of the international humanitarian law.

The Sudanese army has been fighting SPLM-N rebels in Blue Nile and South Kordofan since 2011 and a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.

After a series of talks under the auspices of the African Union in Addis Ababa between 9 to 14 August, the Sudanese government and SPLM-N failed to sign cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access agreements.

The statement further called for holding immediate meetings and conferences for all the forces that had engaged in the civil disobedience, stressing the need “to agree on a unified programme to respond the desire of the Sudanese for change”.

It pointed to the importance of agreeing on a leadership body to lead the upcoming moves, saying the final victory could only be achieved through the unity of the forces of change.

The statement also called for holding a conference for all forces that had engaged in the civil disobedience in Khartoum in coordination with the armed movements in order to transfer the core of the opposition work inside Sudan.

Also, the SPLM-N urged the two factions of the rebel umbrella Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) to agree on a joint agenda to address the current political situation and to strengthen coordination between the two factions.

The rebel group expressed readiness to cease hostilities whenever the Sudanese army and police decide to join the popular uprising, saying “we are ready to coordinate with them to counter the enemies of the uprising”.

The statement also warned against differences among the forces of change and attempts to exclude any armed or peaceful resistance forces, pointing to the shortcoming of the civil disobedience including the absence of a declared leadership and lack of accurate identification of goals.

(ST)