Sudan Marches of the Millions extend to El Gezira, Blue Nile

Thousands took to the streets in El Gezira and River Nile states in the Marches of Millions under the slogan ‘Settling the Accounts’ called for by the Resistance Committees in the country. They demand the return of the principles of the revolution.

Yesterday, Wad Madani, capital of El Gezira witnessed hundreds of protestors going out in a march organised by the Resistance Committees in the city, to achieve the goals of the revolution.

They handed a memorandum including eight demands: Justice for the victims of the December uprising, the establishment of a Parliament, and commitment to the economic emergency programme of the Forces for Freedom and Change that rejects the lifting of subsidies.

The memo also emphasised the need to accelerate the dismantling of the defunct regime. The protestors reject the politicising the civil service and subjecting it to narrow quotas to represent the various forces in the country.

Furthermore, the security forces must be instructed to respect freedoms. The judiciary must be reassessed in line with transitional justice.

The new civilian Governor of El Gezira, Abdallah Idris, called on the Resistance Committees to count the dead and the missing.

Yesterday, he confirmed during his address to the demonstrators the continuation of the revolution, and promised to dismiss locality executives.

He called on the members of the Resistance Committees to participate in the residential units in the state in order to implement the tasks of the transitional government.

River Nile state

In River Nile state, the demonstrators also delivered a memorandum bearing their demands to the governor.

The memorandum demanded better basic services, the completion of the peace negotiations, reform of the justice system and the independence of the judiciary.

The memorandum also called for the allocation of special courts to try the government forces responsible for the death of protestors, the restructuring of the regular forces and the dissolution of the government militias in the country, as well as retribution for the victims and the formation of a national and a state parliament, restructuring of the Forces for Freedom and Change and stressed the removal of empowerment, fighting corruption and taking care of the people’s livelihood.

River Nile state governor Amna El Mekki praised the memorandum submitted by the resistance committees confirming the legitimacy of the demands presented. She called on the Resistance Committees to play the role of monitors.

Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok

Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok stressed the importance of achieving transitional justice and “bringing about the radical changes that the glorious December revolution called for, working towards bringing about change and accomplishing the tasks of building and reconstruction”.

Yesterday, Hamdok said in a statement on the occasion of the anniversary of the signing of the Constitutional Charter last year that the issues of achieving justice and equity to the victims remains one of the most important tasks facing us and which we are working towards to produce a Sudanese model of transitional justice that opens the doors to the future.

He said that the tasks of state administration that carry the legacy of irrational governance and laws restricting creativity and freedoms is not an easy thing, but rather a winding road between ups and downs.

The state apparatus needs to be rebuilt, the legacy of empowerment needs to be dismantled and the civil service needs modernisation and development.

Hamdok stressed that this task needs all possible political and popular support and that we work in a spirit of unity, and that our people realise that our interest is one, which is to work to bring about change and the completion of construction and reconstruction tasks.

SPLM-N faction leader Abdelaziz El Hilu

Abdelaziz El Hilu, head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction in South Kordofan and parts of Blue Nile state, said that what is going on in the current peace negotiations is an attempt to achieve a partial peace that does not address the roots of the Sudanese problem and will not lead to a real peace that restores security, peace, and stability.

Yesterday, El Hilu stressed in a statement about the Marches of the Millions that the movement still adheres to its position regarding solving the country’s problems from their roots and building a secular, democratic, decentralised system that respects the rights of all.

The rebel leader announced the support of his movement for the demonstrations organised by the Resistance Committees yesterday, describing them as “an important mechanism and means for correcting the course of the glorious December revolution”.

He stressed that treatment of the deteriorating economy is achieved by a comprehensive peace and transforming the former “war budget” into a budget to provide services to the people.

He indicated in this regard that the transitional government has been evading discussing the core issues and was reluctant to negotiate with the purpose of “buying time”.

El Hilu stressed that any peace agreement that does not address the roots of the problem will not be a comprehensive or lasting peace, as we have been in the past 60 years of conflict.