January 9, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Yasir Arman a leading figure of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) said they would not negotiate with the Democratic Bloc if the Darfur groups refuse to join the framework agreement individually.
The Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) refuse to join the framework agreement calling to open it for negotiation with an alliance they recently forged with other political groups.
In an interview with Al-Jazeera channel on Sunday, Arman stated that their hand remains extended to JEM led by Gibril Ibrahim and SLM led by Minni Minnawi to join the process alone without their coalition.
He stressed that the refusal of Minawi and Ibrahim to join the process without the other groups of the Democratic Bloc would force them to continue the political process without them.
No, we would not accept to negotiate with the bloc if they maintain their rejection to join the agreement individually, he said
“This is their business,” he said when he asked to explain why they continue to reject signing the framework agreement.
He underscored that they do not want to “dump the framework agreement with more actors or change its agenda”.
“We are ready to work with them and implement the peace agreement, especially since the people of Darfur stood with the revolution. So, it is better for them and for us to agree on a common agenda,” he added.
In a speech delivered at the opening session of the second phase of the political process on Sunday, the deputy head of the Sovereign Council Mohamed Hamdan Daglo Hemetti said that they had delayed the process to persuade the two non-signatories to engage in the political process.
In an interview with the Sudan Tribune, Hadi Idris a member of the Sovereign Council confirmed that several initiatives had been undertaken to bring the two signatories of the Juba peace agreement to join the political process.
Idris expressed their scepticism about the “Democratic Bloc”, saying it was recently established and changed its name and components several times.
The Block “is not stable, and in order to end this controversy, any organization must sign unilaterally, as the rest of the parties that signed individually in order to bear its responsibility,” he added.
The leader of the SLM-Transitional Council and signatory of the Juba peace agreement further said they defeated calls for the cancellation of the Juba agreement.
“The extremists who call for the cancellation do not consider the people’s issues, but rather demand the removal of (certain) people from the political scene who are at odds with them,” he said.
JEM and SLM-MM say, among others, they refuse to join the process because it plans to review the Juba peace agreement and this review would lead to cancel the peace pact.
(ST)
