Minni Minawi meets new Sudan rebel alliance leaders

Two rebel factions have joined the Sudan Revolutionary Front faction under the leadership of Minni Minawi (SRF-MM). The faction submitted its position on national identity and secularism to the peace talks mediation team in Juba on Thursday.

After the breakaway on May 18, Minawi, who heads the main Sudan Liberation Movement split-off faction (SLM-MM), formed a new rebel alliance under the same name. He claimed that the mainstream SRF ignored his constant demand for structural reform within the alliance.

The New Justice and Equality Movement faction led by Mansour Arbab (NJEM) and the Justice and Equality Movement faction led by Bakheet Abdelkarim (JEM-BA) joined the new alliance.

In a statement on Thursday, SRF-MM negotiator Mohamed Abunumou said that they held a meeting with the South Sudanese mediators, in which they explained their position about the importance of national identity and secularism for the country. He described the meeting as a great step towards a comprehensive peace.

Abunumou further explained that the movement has a clear stance on the issues of the large numbers of seasonal labourers, kanabi, in the country. “To address the issues of the kanabi, the movement proposed a consultation conference that includes all the labourers to discuss their concerns,” he said.

The SRF breakaway faction confirmed that the leaders of the newly formed faction held a meeting, in which they decided to re-organise te group in order to build a strong coalition.

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