Popular Congress Party, Reform Now, condemn new Darfur violence

Opposition parties in Khartoum strongly condemned the government offensive on the stronghold of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdelwahid El Nur and dozens of villages in Jebel Marra that started on Friday.

Kamal Omar, Secretary-General of the Popular Congress Party and member of the National Dialogue steering committee, expressed his concern about the fierce fighting and the large number of civilian casualties in Jebel Marra.

In an interview with Radio Dabanga today, he pointed to the ceasefire announced by President Al Bashir as part of the National Dialogue arrangements.

“We do not care who started the fight or who is responsible for the ceasefire breach. Most important now is to stop the war in Darfur, the Blue Nile and South Kordofan,” he said.

He stressed that “if Khartoum believes it can use the political parties that joined the National Dialogue as a cover to continue its wars, they are dreaming.

“We have demanded and we will continue to demand the end of the wars that do not have any rationale. We joined the government's National Dialogue to bring an end to the armed conflicts, not to give legitimacy to their continuation.”

Reform Now Movement

Hassan Osman Rizeg, Deputy Head of the Reform Movement Now, told Radio Dabanga that his party has demanded the ruling National Congress Party to establish a neutral committee of inquiry into the attacks on Jebel Marra.

“We will need to know which party violated the ceasefire and is causing harm to the people living in the area.”

“We all agreed on the importance of ending the wars, and joined Al Bashir's National Dialogue to reach an agreement that would lead to a comprehensive solution for the political, foreign, financial, and economic crises of the country.”

Rizeg warned for the failure of the National Dialogue. “If the Dialogue fails, war may break out in the entire country.”