Rebel SRF road map ‘towards National Dialogue Sudan’

The Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) stated that its new road map will lead towards an end to the conflicts in Sudan, and creation of the necessary conditions for the National Dialogue. The SRF, an umbrella organisation of Sudanese rebel movements, published its road map on Friday. It stated that the SRF remains committed to solving the conflicts in Darfur, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and other Sudanese areas, in a peaceful way. However, it reiterated its negative stance towards the National Dialogue: “This new initiative may be merely a tactic to carry the National Congress Party to elections.” The umbrella organisation proposed several steps to reach “a peaceful settlement in Sudan”. It mentioned that the government should stop the killing of civilians in war affected regions, disarm the militias, and halt the bombardments. Also, it called for unimpeded humanitarian access to all war zones, a lift of the state of emergency, the immediate release of all political detainees, the halt of propaganda and lift of media censorship, and the right of political parties to communicate with its followers in public places. In return, the rebel SRF stated it will enhance its cooperation with the UN-AU Mission in Darfur (Unamid), immediately release government prisoners it has taken, and approach other armed movements to join the National Dialogue. Delegation to KhartoumFinally, “when a conducive environment for the National Dialogue has been created by following the new roadmap, a SRF delegation will travel to Khartoum with the facilitation of the African Union High-Level Panel (AUHIP), Unamid and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to meet political parties and start the National Dialogue”. The roadmap further stated that this broad dialogue should tackle equal citizenship, freedoms and human rights, religion, identity and diversity, system of governance, power sharing mechanisms, reform of foreign policy, and more. “It shall end up producing an interim national government tasked at the minimum.” Among these tasks, the roadmap mentioned the “organisation of voluntary return of displaced people”, “compensation of those affected by the conflict”, “organisation of free, fair, and internationally monitored elections”, and “drafting of a permanent constitution”. The SRF is a formal coalition of rebel movements, formed by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), the Sudan Liberation Movement factions, led by Minni Minawi (SLM-MM) and by Abdel Wahid El Nur (SLM-AW), and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in 2011. The United Popular Front (UPF), a coalition of eastern Sudanese factions, officially joined in October 2013. File photo: From left to right: El Tom Hajo (SRF Head of Media), Jibril Adam Bilal (Head of JEM), Abdel Wahid El Nur (Head of SLM-AW), and Minni Minawi (Head of SLM-MM) (Photo by Radio Dabanga) Related: Sudan’s Al Bashir restricts political parties after promising the opposite (15 April 2014) Rebel demands international mediator at Sudan’s national dialogue (12 April 2014) Sudan’s press freedom worst for third year running (12 February 2014)