Sudan opposition demands freedoms in National Dialogue meeting

On Thursday evening, pro-government and opposition parties participated in a meeting of the National Dialogue Committee, known as “7+7”. During the meeting, chaired by President Omar Al Bashir, the participating opposition parties took the opportunity to stress the need to allow more freedoms in the country. The National Umma Party (NUP) and the Reform Now Party (RNP) have suspended their participation, in response to the recent crackdown on political activists, and the widespread attacks on civilians in Darfur and South Kordofan. The participating opposition parties handed a memorandum to the Sudanese president, Kamal Omar, Political Secretary of the Popular Congress Party (PCP), told Radio Dabanga. In the memo, the parties stressed the need to release all political detainees, to provide an adequate safeguard for the opposition forces and the armed movements to participate in the Dialogue, and to declare a cease-fire in the war-torn regions in Darfur, South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile. The PCP Political Secretary said that the meeting agreed on the formation of a “3+3 committee”, to develop a road map for the National Dialogue process, to be presented to the National Dialogue Committee after one week. Structural change The Vice-President of the National Umma Party (NUP), Dr Maryam El Sadig, affirmed to Radio Dabanga from Omdurman the NUP’s and RNP’s rejection to take part in the Dialogue. “The NUP differs fundamentally with the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) about the purpose of the National Dialogue. Al Bashir views the Dialogue as a means for power sharing based on quotas, while the NUP considers it as a political means to realise a structural change towards a state built on national consensus, without any exception.” El Sadig stressed that political and press freedoms should be secured “before a broad national dialogue can even start”. “Al Bashir has to declare a general amnesty for all political detainees in the country.” 7+7 The National Dialogue Committee meeting on Thursday was attended Dr Ibrahim Ghandour, representing the NCP; Dr Tijani Sese, leader of the Darfuri Liberation and Justice Movement; Ahmed Saad Omar, for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP); Jalal El Digeir, for the DUP-Democracy faction; Musa Mohamed Ahmed, representative of the Beja Congress; Ahmed Babikr Nahar of the Federal Umma Party, and Aboud Jaber, for the National Unity parties. The participating opposition parties were represented by Hassan Abdallah El Turabi, SCP’s Secretary-General; Fadul El Sayed Shoeib, Federal Truth Party; Mustafa Mahmoud, Arab Nasserist Party; Amal Ibrahim, Eastern Democratic Platform party, and Abulgasim Ahmed Hashim of the Working Forces Organisation. Last January, President Al Bashir called on all Sudanese political parties and armed opposition groups to engage in a National Dialogue to discuss the “ending of the civil wars, allowing political freedoms, fighting against poverty, and revitalising Sudan’s national identity”. Opposition parties and rebel movements have doubted the sincerity of El Bashir’s proposal, as since February the newly recruited paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by the Sudanese security service, started their widespread attacks on villages in Darfur, causing the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. The months of May and June witnessed heavy aerial and ground attacks on civilians in South Kordofan.During the past months, the Sudanese security tightened its grip on the media and activists, and civil society organisations. Activists and journalists were detained, as well as NUP Chairman, El Sadig El Mahdi, who was released after one month, and the head of the Sudanese Congress Party, Ibrahim El Sheikh, still being held in En Nahud, West Kordofan. Both party leaders had publicly criticised the RSF attacks against civilians, calling the RSF militia unconstitutional. Apart from the NUP and RNP, who suspended their participation in June and July respectively, a coalition of 17 opposition parties, united in the National Consensus Forces (NCF), in April announced their boycott of the National Dialogue, as proposed by President Al Bashir. File photo: El Sadig El Mahdi (R) and Hassan El Turabi (L of El Mahdi) during a meeting of the NCF (SudanTribune)  Related:Sudan’s ruling party repeats call for national dialogue (16 June 2014) Sudan frees detained Umma Party leader El Mahdi (15 June 2014) Umma Party and SPLM-N intensify cooperation in Sudan (12 June 2014) Sudan opposition suspends parties for joining National Dialogue (18 April 2014) Sudan opposition forces reiterate their conditions for a national dialogue (9 April 2014) Coalition of 17 parties to boycott Sudan’s ‘national dialogue’ (7 April 2014)

On Thursday evening, pro-government and opposition parties participated in a meeting of the National Dialogue Committee, known as “7+7”. During the meeting, chaired by President Omar Al Bashir, the participating opposition parties took the opportunity to stress the need to allow more freedoms in the country.

The National Umma Party (NUP) and the Reform Now Party (RNP) have suspended their participation, in response to the recent crackdown on political activists, and the widespread attacks on civilians in Darfur and South Kordofan.

The participating opposition parties handed a memorandum to the Sudanese president, Kamal Omar, Political Secretary of the Popular Congress Party (PCP), told Radio Dabanga. In the memo, the parties stressed the need to release all political detainees, to provide an adequate safeguard for the opposition forces and the armed movements to participate in the Dialogue, and to declare a cease-fire in the war-torn regions in Darfur, South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile.

The PCP Political Secretary said that the meeting agreed on the formation of a “3+3 committee”, to develop a road map for the National Dialogue process, to be presented to the National Dialogue Committee after one week.

Structural change

The Vice-President of the National Umma Party (NUP), Dr Maryam El Sadig, affirmed to Radio Dabanga from Omdurman the NUP’s and RNP’s rejection to take part in the Dialogue.

“The NUP differs fundamentally with the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) about the purpose of the National Dialogue. Al Bashir views the Dialogue as a means for power sharing based on quotas, while the NUP considers it as a political means to realise a structural change towards a state built on national consensus, without any exception.”

El Sadig stressed that political and press freedoms should be secured “before a broad national dialogue can even start”. “Al Bashir has to declare a general amnesty for all political detainees in the country.”

7+7

The National Dialogue Committee meeting on Thursday was attended Dr Ibrahim Ghandour, representing the NCP; Dr Tijani Sese, leader of the Darfuri Liberation and Justice Movement; Ahmed Saad Omar, for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP); Jalal El Digeir, for the DUP-Democracy faction; Musa Mohamed Ahmed, representative of the Beja Congress; Ahmed Babikr Nahar of the Federal Umma Party, and Aboud Jaber, for the National Unity parties.

The participating opposition parties were represented by Hassan Abdallah El Turabi, SCP’s Secretary-General; Fadul El Sayed Shoeib, Federal Truth Party; Mustafa Mahmoud, Arab Nasserist Party; Amal Ibrahim, Eastern Democratic Platform party, and Abulgasim Ahmed Hashim of the Working Forces Organisation.

Last January, President Al Bashir called on all Sudanese political parties and armed opposition groups to engage in a National Dialogue to discuss the “ending of the civil wars, allowing political freedoms, fighting against poverty, and revitalising Sudan’s national identity”.

Opposition parties and rebel movements have doubted the sincerity of El Bashir’s proposal, as since February the newly recruited paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by the Sudanese security service, started their widespread attacks on villages in Darfur, causing the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. The months of May and June witnessed heavy aerial and ground attacks on civilians in South Kordofan.

During the past months, the Sudanese security tightened its grip on the media and activists, and civil society organisations. Activists and journalists were detained, as well as NUP Chairman, El Sadig El Mahdi, who was released after one month, and the head of the Sudanese Congress Party, Ibrahim El Sheikh, still being held in En Nahud, West Kordofan. Both party leaders had publicly criticised the RSF attacks against civilians, calling the RSF militia unconstitutional.

Apart from the NUP and RNP, who suspended their participation in June and July respectively, a coalition of 17 opposition parties, united in the National Consensus Forces (NCF), in April announced their boycott of the National Dialogue, as proposed by President Al Bashir.

File photo: El Sadig El Mahdi (R) and Hassan El Turabi (L of El Mahdi) during a meeting of the NCF (SudanTribune) 

Related:

Sudan’s ruling party repeats call for national dialogue (16 June 2014)

Sudan frees detained Umma Party leader El Mahdi (15 June 2014)

Umma Party and SPLM-N intensify cooperation in Sudan (12 June 2014)

Sudan opposition suspends parties for joining National Dialogue (18 April 2014)

Sudan opposition forces reiterate their conditions for a national dialogue (9 April 2014)

Coalition of 17 parties to boycott Sudan’s ‘national dialogue’ (7 April 2014)