Sudan’s Al Bashir: ‘No negotiations abroad’

Sudan’s President Omar Al Bashir has ruled-out any peace negotiations abroad, insisting the National Dialogue be held within Sudan.

Speaking during a visit to the headquarters of Sudan’s land forces, Al Bashir said that “whoever wants to participate in the dialogue will not be given a second chance”. He criticised “those who sit in five-star hotels outside the country,” clearly referring to the rebels an opposition leaders.

Reacting to the President’s remarks, Jibril Ibrahim, head of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), said that even though Al Bashir has a military background, he is “clueless of guerrilla wars”.

Ibrahim asserted that “the revolution in Sudan is fair cause of the people. The revolution will continue despite Al Bashir, unless a just and comprehensive peace is reached to return the people's rights and address their grievances”.

He added that “if Al Bashir is refusing to negotiate today, tomorrow he will not find anyone to negotiate with”.

One of the rebels’ main demands is for the National Dialogue to be held on neutral ground, however, as Al Bashir has international arrest warrants against him for war crimes and genocide from the International Criminal Court in The Hague, he is finding it increasingly difficult to travel.