Opposition leaders warn against bilateral peace deal

Opposition leaders in Sudan have warned against a bilateral peace agreement between the government and rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) that does not directly address the grievances of Sudan’s marginalised northern populations. “If the peace process is a bilateral process, it will be a very temporary peace that will unravel very soon,” said Sadiq al Mahdi, leader of the Umma party which enjoys wide popular support in the violence-wracked western Darfur region. “There is a cocktail of ethnic based political dissent, armed and supported from outside. It is going to be copied by others unless problems are universally addressed,” he said. Islamist leader and former parliament speaker Hassan al Turabi, who heads the Popular Congress Party, concurred that a bilateral peace deal would lead to an escalation of conflict in both western and eastern Sudan. “Sudan has never been in a more critical position than it is today – [in terms of] breaking up into regions or joining together by free will,” he told IRIN. Turabi acknowledged his connections with the Justice and Equality Movement rebel movement in Darfur, but denied giving it material support. “We support the cause, no doubt about it,” he said, but added: “I didn’t say I’m involved with the fighting, I said we have relations with some of the leadership.” The Darfur region has seen an escalation of violence due to fighting between Arab militias and two main rebel groups. Both leaders told IRIN that reform of the Khartoum government was the only way to resolve and prevent further conflict in Sudan. “The most important thing is a decentralisation of power, a federal government. It’s very simple,” said Turabi. Al Mahdi added that the government had to acknowledge the extent of the crisis in Darfur, and the failure of its policies in the region. He said a national conference should be convened including all of Sudan’s political parties, armed forces and civil society groups to decide on “the reforms needed" in a bid to to resolve the escalating crisis in Darfur. The International Crisis Group think tank has warned the international community not to focus solely on the peace process underway with the SPLM/A, at the expense of the situation in Darfur. "The end of one tragic civil war in Sudan should not be allowed to be a catalyst for a new one," it warned in a recent report.