SPLM-N welcomes amnesty for its convicted members

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) has welcomed the amnesty for its convicted members.

On Wednesday, President Omar Al Bashir issued a decree dropping the remaining sentences against a number of SPLM-N members, including 64 people condemned to death.

They were convicted for their part in clashes with government forces during the outbreak of the latest armed conflict in Blue Nile state, in early September 2011. Both sides accused each other of starting the fighting that opened a third battle front in the country, where conflict had erupted again in South Kordofan in July that year. The war in Darfur started in early 2003.

In a press statement on Friday, the SPLM-N lauded the step by Al Bashir. It called on the parolees to continue the struggle for a just peace, a citizenship without discrimination, and the establishment of a real democracy.

The rebel movement further warned for a renewed round of fighting in the Two Areas (South Kordofan and Blue Nile states), as government forces are preparing for another offensive during the coming dry season (November-April).

Fighting in Sudan traditionally follows dry-season patterns, with lulls during the rainy seasons, from June through November, when roads become impassable and movement in rural areas difficult.