North Kordofan parties oppose State of Emergency

Opposition parties in North Kordofan jointly rejected the extension of the State of Emergency on the pretext of further implementation of the campaign to collect illegal weapons.

President Omar Al Bashir announced the extension on Tuesday. The opposition parties under the umbrella of the Sudan Appeal coalition have described the declaration as “a violation of rights and freedoms and restrictions in freedoms in North Kordofan”.

Osman Hassan Saleh, the representative of the Sudanese Communist Party in North Kordofan, said the declaration was a confiscation of the rights of the citizens that are stipulated in the Constitution and other laws in North Kordofan.

He told Radio Dabanga from El Obeid that the authority will confiscate the basic rights and public freedoms and detain individuals according to the declaration.

Mansour Zakildin, the head of the National Umma Party (NUP) in North Kordofan also criticised the declaration of the state of emergency in North Kordofan. On Thursday he told Radio Dabanga from El Obeid that the declaration came unexpectedly. “This raised concerns among the state's residents that there are other hidden dimensions behind the declaration of the State of Emergency.”

The decision to collect illegal weapons, he said, does not need a State of Emergency. “There is stability in the security situation in North Kordofan compared to other states. Weapons should be collected gradually – not by force which may have negative impacts.”

Campaign

In July, Khartoum announced that it would start a large disarmament campaign in the country, to begin with in Darfur and Kordofan.

According to Presidential Decree 419 of 2017, illegal weapons, ammunition, and vehicles are to be handed immediately to the Sudan Armed Forces (the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces), the state commissioner, or the nearest military or police unit.

The collection of illegal arms and cars will be voluntary in the beginning, and become compulsory at a later stage.