Sudan rebel group signs 13-point memorandum in Cairo

The Sudan Liberation Movement faction led by Minni Minawi (SLM-MM) and the mainstream Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led by Mohamed Osman El Mirghani, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Wednesday.

The memorandum consists of 13 items, including harmonising the Constitutional Document signed by the Transitional Military Council and the Forces for Freedom and Change in August last year with the Juba peace agreement and the reformulation of the political vision with the participation of all the forces, both those that signed and did not sign the Declaration of Freedom and Change, provided that it is based on the Sudanese people’s preferences.

The two parties affirmed, in the MoU signed by Minawi, and DUP Vice President, Jaafar El Mirghani, their support for the transitional period, valuing the Juba peace agreement, supporting efforts for peace, and stopping the war, and considering peace as the entry point for democratic transformation. .

The two sides also recognised the grievances of the people living in the marginalised and war-affected areas that amounted to crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing.

The memorandum stipulates the achievement of criminal justice, reform of justice institutions, and an emphasis on the return of the displaced and refugees to their original villages with compensation for the damage.

The Memorandum of Understanding stipulated the adoption of the criterion of the percentage of the population of each region as a basis for the division of power and wealth and equal representation in service with positive discrimination for the regions affected by the war.

The two parties agreed to review the experience of federal governance to arrive at a federal system based on a fair distribution of power and wealth. The memorandum stipulated that joint efforts be made to make the planned Constitutional Conference a success and convene it with the participation of all, that it expresses all Sudanese and ensures that religion is not used in politics.

The two parties announced the formation of a joint committee concerned with the follow-up and coordination of programmes and the organisation of activities and workshops to implement the terms of the memorandum, to preserve the security and safety of the homeland, enhance national cohesion, and to prevent traitors who are working to spread chaos, leading to instability in the country.

Full and unconditional dialogue

In Khartoum, Sovereign Council member Mohamed El Taayshi called for a full and unconditional dialogue between all components of Sudanese society on how to reform all state institutions, and at the same time renewed his call for youth to discuss the terms of the peace agreement and entrust the transitional period to the stage of building a civil state and political stability in the country

Speaking at a celebration held by the Sudanese Congress Party on the occasion of the International Day of Peace, El Taayshi stressed that the peace agreement is not complete and will not stop the war without the joining of the other parties*, and stressed the need to avoid the mistakes of the past in order to finally stop the war and conflicts in the country.

He said that the peace agreement is considered a political document for discussion by the Sudanese people and subject to constructive criticism in its text and provisions. El Taayshi clarified that the peace agenda must have a real partnership in order to reach a sustainable and comprehensive peace.

To that, the mediation team, the government delegation, and the delegation of the Sudan Revolutionary Front rebel alliance in Khartoum discussed yesterday the final paper of the peace agreement to be signed on October 3 in Juba.

Dhieu Mathok, spokesman for the mediation committee, said that the paper reflects the final form of the agreement that will be signed. He expects to present this final paper to the parties not currently present in Khartoum, especially to the SLM-MM and delegations of other movements who are still in Juba.

He said that the mediation decided to form a committee to unify visions regarding participation in the signing ceremony for the final signing of the peace agreement.

He explained that the peace agreement contains deals on six tracks (Darfur, the Two Areas (South Kordofan, Blue Nile state, in addition to West Kordofan), central, eastern, and northern Sudan, which require inclusion in a single comprehensive agreement to be signed on October 3 in Juba.

* The SRF alliance consists of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction headed by Malik Agar (SPLM-N Agar) active in Blue Nile state, and the Darfur rebel groups Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sudan Liberation Movement faction under the leadership of Minni Minawi (SLM-MM), SLM-Transitional Council, the Sudan Liberation Forces Group, and the Sudanese Alliance (which includes 15 smaller groups).

The groups that did not sign the peace agreement yet are the SPLM-N faction under the leadership of Abdelaziz El Hilu (SPLM-N El Hilu) in South Kordofan and parts of Blue Nile state, and the mainstream Sudan Liberation Movement in Darfur, led by Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW).

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