‘El Mahdi detention death certificate for dialogue’: Darfur rebels

The Darfur rebel movements united in the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) have reiterated their strong condemnation of the arrest and detention of Umma Party leader El Sadiq El Mahdi. They describe the detention as “a death certificate for the so-called dialogue and burial of the publicity and hullabaloo associated with it.” Abdel Wahid El Nur, head of the Sudan Liberation Movement and SRF Vice-President has demanded El Madhi’s immediate release. “We have fundamental differences with El Mahdi as he is for civil Jihad while we are for armed struggle, however, the regime could not tolerate his speech, so they have arrested him.” Abdel Wahid says his Movement believes that “armed struggle, revolution, and popular uprising are the solution,” describing President Al Bashir and his regime in Khartoum as ‘liars’. He called on El Mahdi to join the SRF and work with them “for the radical and real change of the regime in Khartoum”. Dr Jibril Ibrahim Mohammed, head of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Vice President of the SRF has reiterated the Movement and the Front’s condemnation of El Mahdi’s arrest. He told Radio Dabanga: “The arrest of El Mahdi is the regime’s formal announcement of death and burial of the dialogue.” Mohammed added: “What is happening now in the political arena of suppression of freedoms, closure of newspapers, arrest of activists and citizens, the daily killing of civilians by air force bombardments, and militia attacks in Darfur, the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile are confirmations that the regime in Khartoum is not ready for dialogue.” File photo: Imam El Sadig El Mahdi amid his Ansar in Omdurman (Namaa Faisal) Related: Umma party leader demands fair trial in Sudan (27 May 2014)Committee to oversee Sudan media; NCF denounce El Mahdi’s arrest (23 May 2014)El Mahdi detention in Sudan: US Embassy expresses concern (22 May 2014)