SPLM-N, Ethiopian PM discuss peace in S. Kordofan and Blue Nile 

The leadership of the rebel Sudan People’s LIberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) met on Friday with Ethiopian prime minister and current chair of the IGAD executive council, Hailemariam Desalegn, to discuss to discuss a peaceful settlement to the armed conflict in Sudan’s South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, as well as other parts of the country.

Ethiopia’s prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn (File photo/Reuters)

The rebel delegation which arrived earlier this week in Addis Ababa held a series of meetings with the African Union mediation, Ethiopian foreign minister, UN special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, EU special envoy and Canadian ambassador in Ethiopia.

The consultation meetings focused on the humanitarian situation, and African Union and UN Security Council resolutions providing to hold talks between the rebel group and Sudanese government based on a framework agreement signed in Addis Ababa on 28 June 2011, but denounced by president Omer Al-Bashir.

Following the meeting with the Ethiopian prime minister, SPLM-N secretary general Yasir Arman in a statement he extended to Sudan Tribune said they are ready to negotiate with Khartoum on the basis of Addis Ababa Framework which "has put a solid foundation for an inclusive national constitutional process".

"The SPLM-N’s belief and conviction is that the piecemeal solution is hurting the future of Sudan and it is not delivering peace", he further said, stressing that a "durable solution can use all the present forums with the aim of reaching a comprehensive peaceful settlement".

Sudanese rebel groups gathered under the umbrella of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) call for a comprehensive process to discuss conflicts in Blue Nile, Darfur and South Kordofan in one forum. They also demands to include the opposition parties in order to reach an agreement on a future democratic constitution.

Last July the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) expressed its support to the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) and urged Darfur rebel groups to engage talks with the government without conditions on the basis of this framework text.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) followed the regional body and adopted a similar position, closing the door on such demand for a comprehensive negotiations.

The rebels believe that the holistic approach should lead to dismantle the rule of the National Congress Party and paves the way for a secular and democratic regime.

However, the AUPSC and UNSC opted for a gradual approach that commences with the resolution of regional conflicts and terminates with the national issue.

In its meeting of 19 July, the African Union admitted that "Darfur crisis is a manifestation of broader political and social problems facing Sudan as a whole" and demanded Sudanese government to pursue a holistic approach to "addressing these challenges within the framework of the on-going constitutional review process".

The AU High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) led by president Mbeki is supposed to accompany this constitutional process and ensure the inclusion of the opposition forces and what would be former rebels after the signing of peace agreements.

However the Sudanese government refuses the framework agreement signed by the deputy NCP chairman and SPLM-N chairman Malik Agar. The deal provides to establish a partnership between the two political forces in order to achieve democratic transition in Sudan.

This week the head of the Sudanese government negotiating team, Ibrahim Gandour reiterated this week the position of his government refusing to hold talks with the SPLM-N unless they disengage with the their former comrades of the ruling SPLM in Juba.

MEETING WITH AIM

The SPLM-Sudan delegation met also with the Ad Hoc Investigative Mechanism (AIM) which is established by the African Union to probe accusations traded by Khartoum and Juba over support to rebel groups.

Yasir Arman said they had "an in-depth discussion" with the members of the mechanism and invited them to visit the SPLM-Sudan held areas in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan. He emphasized that the territory they control "is bigger in size than some countries represented in the United Nations".

On the humanitarian register, the SPLM-N secretary-general reaffirmed that they are willing to sign a humanitarian cessation of hostility in order to allow aid groups to reach the needy civilians in the rebel areas.

He also repeated their rejection to the participation of the Sudanese government in a polio vaccination campaign in the SPLM-N-controlled areas. He said the vaccine can be brought directly from Ethiopia and Kenya and proposed to involve UNISFA in the operation to provide the logistics to the agreed site.