Minawi blames Sudan government for Bentiu massacre

The head of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and Deputy-President of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), Minni Arko Minawi, has accused the Khartoum regime, its militias, and the opposition forces in the south of the country of causing last week’s massacre that claimed the lives of Darfuris in Bentiu, South Sudan. In an interview at the Radio Dabanga studios last Friday, Minnawi said that that Khartoum regime has similarly caused a crisis in Mali, the Central African Republic and now in South Sudan today, as Darfuris have been targeted in a deliberate manner. The sixth round of negotiations between the government and the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), sponsored by the AU and mediated headed by former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, are to resume on Tuesday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The government has voiced optimism about the success of round, however the opposition and political experts stress that negotiations cannot succeed in reaching a peace without the government delegation’s acceptance of a comprehensive solution. The dispute between the parties in the previous round and their divergent opinions led to the suspension of negotiations by Mbeki, who referred the decision to the African Peace and Security Council. It was reviewed at a meeting held to assess the progress of the negotiation. They renewed the mandate of President Mbeki to continue mediation, provided that they reach a settlement of the dispute by the end of April. No information so far confirms the involvement of Mediation in the formulation of proposals to bridge the gap between the conflicting parties. The government insists on discussing Blue Nile and South Kordofan, while the SPLM-N is calling for a comprehensive solution to all the crises of the country, including the ongoing war in Darfur. File photo: Minni Minawi (Radio Dabanga)