Sudan’s ruling party repeats call for national dialogue

The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has reiterated its call for a national dialogue on Saturday. During a symposium in Umbadda in Omdurman on Saturday, Assistant of the President, Dr Ibrahim Ghandour, said that the 2015 elections will take place as planned if the opposition continues to refuse to engage in a national dialogue. Ghandour criticised the opposition parties for being “old and weak”. “They do not even have political and economic programmes”. The presidential assistant also reiterated NCP’s call on the rebel movements to join the dialogue. He added that the NCP is ready for a comprehensive ceasefire in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile. However, he warned the rebels “the mistakes of the Naivasha peace agreement, by letting the armed movements keep their armies, would not be repeated”.  Yousif Hussein, the spokesman for the Sudanese Communist Party, called Ghandour’s words arrogant, telling Radio Dabanga that “the NCP has done nothing other than disrupting the nation, during its 25 years of raping power, pillaging Sudan’s resources, and impoverishing the population”. According to Hussein, the regime’s call for a national dialogue with all opposition parties and armed movements was only done to “to rig the elections for a second time and forge the Constitution”. He stressed that the NCP cannot be serious about a national dialogue. “How can there be a dialogue when opposition leaders and cadres are detained for their criticism of government militias and the media are silenced? The only solution for the crises in Sudan is the toppling of the regime.” The Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), an alliance of armed movements, responded to Ghandour’s call by demanding the “Khartoum regime” to release all political prisoners and detainees, “before talking about any political settlement or dialogue”. Gabriel Adam Bilal, the spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement told Radio Dabanga that the SRF cannot take part in any national dialogue or negotiations with the Sudanese government, when it refuses to accept any criticism about “the foreign militias that have been brought to protect them in Khartoum.” “If Khartoum does not release all political detainees, the SRF has no choice but to uproot the NCP.” File photo: Dr Ibrahim Ghandour Related:Sudan frees detained Umma Party leader El Mahdi (15 June 2014) Umma Party and SPLM-N intensify cooperation in Sudan (12 June 2014)Sudan opposition suspends parties for joining National Dialogue (18 April 2014) Sudan opposition forces reiterate their conditions for a national dialogue (9 April 2014)