Sudan ‘refuses to negotiate with the SPLM-N’- general secretary

12/03/2013 22:15

The general secretary of the Sudan’s People Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) is accusing the Sudanese government of refusing to negotiate with the rebels, adding this is “the typical continuation of non-committal behaviors of Khartoum”.   “It was an open secret that Khartoum put new conditions and they said openly that they are not ready to negotiate directly with the SPLM-N”, Yasir Arman, who is also chairman of the negotiation team, was quoted as saying in a statement from 12 March.He disclosed the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP) notified the rebels a number of times in the past months that Khartoum had postponed their meetings. “Allowing Khartoum to decide on the talks and to continue the behavior of non-committal [to the AU and UN resolutions] … will only result in more suffering of the civilian populations, and it is upon those institutions who took those decisions to look into how to implement them”, according to Arman.The chairman suggested the continuation of the policies of Khartoum is resulting in significant displacement of civilians, noting that more than 70 percent of the Blue Nile population in rural areas was forced to cross the border to Ethiopia and South Sudan as refugees. These policies, he outlined, are using food as a weapon, denying access of humanitarian assistance to civilian populations and continuing ground and air attacks in Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains for the last three weeks.   This is letting Khartoum “behave the same as they have been doing for the last ten years in Darfur, the last two years in Nuba Mountains and in Blue Nile committing more war crimes and genocide”, he said. “Ready for negotiations” Nevertheless, the chairman reinstated his movement is “ready to for direct negotiations with the NCP Khartoum government in accordance to the agenda set by the AUHIP”. Arman is also ready “to reach an immediate humanitarian cessation of hostilities” and he welcomed the agreement between Sudan and South Sudan on the demilitarized buffer zone. Noting the SPLM-N controls “more than 40 percent” of Sudan and South Sudan’s shared borders, the head of the movement expressed his full commitment to cooperate with the monitors of the demilitarized buffer zone to achieve their goals.  “Meanwhile, we appreciate the tireless efforts by the AUHIP to bring peace”, he completed.Photo: Yasir Arman, Chairperson of the SPLM-N Negotiation Team (Radio Dabanga file)

The general secretary of the Sudan’s People Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) is accusing the Sudanese government of refusing to negotiate with the rebels, adding this is “the typical continuation of non-committal behaviors of Khartoum”.  

“It was an open secret that Khartoum put new conditions and they said openly that they are not ready to negotiate directly with the SPLM-N”, Yasir Arman, who is also chairman of the negotiation team, was quoted as saying in a statement from 12 March.

He disclosed the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP) notified the rebels a number of times in the past months that Khartoum had postponed their meetings.

“Allowing Khartoum to decide on the talks and to continue the behavior of non-committal [to the AU and UN resolutions] … will only result in more suffering of the civilian populations, and it is upon those institutions who took those decisions to look into how to implement them”, according to Arman.

The chairman suggested the continuation of the policies of Khartoum is resulting in significant displacement of civilians, noting that more than 70 percent of the Blue Nile population in rural areas was forced to cross the border to Ethiopia and South Sudan as refugees.

These policies, he outlined, are using food as a weapon, denying access of humanitarian assistance to civilian populations and continuing ground and air attacks in Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains for the last three weeks.  

This is letting Khartoum “behave the same as they have been doing for the last ten years in Darfur, the last two years in Nuba Mountains and in Blue Nile committing more war crimes and genocide”, he said.

“Ready for negotiations”

Nevertheless, the chairman reinstated his movement is “ready to for direct negotiations with the NCP Khartoum government in accordance to the agenda set by the AUHIP”.

Arman is also ready “to reach an immediate humanitarian cessation of hostilities” and he welcomed the agreement between Sudan and South Sudan on the demilitarized buffer zone.

Noting the SPLM-N controls “more than 40 percent” of Sudan and South Sudan’s shared borders, the head of the movement expressed his full commitment to cooperate with the monitors of the demilitarized buffer zone to achieve their goals. 

“Meanwhile, we appreciate the tireless efforts by the AUHIP to bring peace”, he completed.

Photo: Yasir Arman, Chairperson of the SPLM-N Negotiation Team (Radio Dabanga file)