Conprehancive Intervew with the leader of El-Beja Conference for Reform & Development

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Conprehancive Intervew with the leader of El-Beja Conference for Reform & Development
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Aug 12, 2008 - 8:46:17 AM




Conprehancive Intervew with the leader of El-Beja Conference for Reform & Development

Like other marginalised areas in Sudan, eastern Sudan has been suffering marginalization under different regimes that have been controlling the power in Sudan since independent. As a result of continue marginalization, the people of Eastern Sudan decided to rebel against the oppressive regime of NCP and joined the mass of the marginalised in search for freedom and justice in the country. Sudan Tribune Newspaper had a pleasure of interviewing Mr. Osman Musa Bawanin, the chairman of El- Beja Conference which is one of the factions opposing Khartoum regime in eastern Sudan. Below is an excerpt of an interview which was conducted by Dr. Thuou Loi Cingoth with Mr. Bawanin in Juba about what is being done by El- Beja Conference in search for freedom and justice for the people of Eastern Sudan.




Manyang Deng Dau
Q: Would you tell the readers about the El- Beja Conference Reformed and Development as a chairman of the faction?




El-Beja Conference Chairman Mr. Osman Musa Bawanin
A: El-Beja conference was formed in 1958 as a development and reformed movement calling for the even development and provision of basic services for the people of eastern Sudan and decentralised federal system and equal distribution of wealth including all the resources available in eastern Sudan and all other sources of income in eastern Sudan (Zakat, tax, customs etc). the conference also call for the equal participation in power sharing (civil services in eastern Sudan, authorities executive, legislative, judiciary etc) and the equal distribution of power in the economic section. All this are indications that our movement is a movement that call for equality of all the people regardless of their race or religion. The movement has the support of all the people in eastern Sudan. Beja conference is the official representative of the Beja people in eastern Sudan. It is worth mentioning that eastern Sudan has three states Red sea state, Kassala and Gadharif.



Q: How far is the El- Beja Conference in achieving its desired objectives so far?



A: It is worth mentioning that the current Beja conference is the continuation of the conference which was formed in 1958. The El-Beja conference calls for the importance of getting rid of marginalization of the people of Eastern Sudan and their right in development. We call for the development of the area with the local resources that the area has, and the right of people of the area in its administration. It is worth mentioning that the conference has not yet achieved its desired objectives up to now. It is worth mentioning that all the governments that have been in control of the power since independent could not play any positive role in administration and development of the area. The indigenous people have been always marginalised except for some few representations here and there in the administration of the area. In 1994 from Eritrea, the people of the area decided to take armed struggle as a result of that chronic marginalization to struggle for the right of the people of eastern Sudan. We were part of the opposition in external.



Q: There is report in the media that El-Beja Conference will be emerged with SPLM, would you please tell us more about that if it is correct?



A: There is no doubt that we have strong relations with SPLM and SPLA in eastern Sudan as people with one objective to achieve. There is trust and confidence between Beja conference and SPLM. It is worth mentioning that we agree with SPLM in many points regarding the marginalised people in Sudan. Our collective role is to end the marginalisation of all those who are marginalised and this is the major point of agreement and understanding between El-Beja conference and SPLM. The current and next period needs strong alliances between different political parties with similar objectives so that we could end up having one strong united Sudan where all the political parties work in harmony for the sake of all the people of Sudan. It is worth mentioning that SPLM is the junior partner in the government of national unity. Also SPLM has signed world wide recognised peace agreement with international guarantees. SPLM has also declared its intention of liberating all the marginalised people in Sudan. All these factors led us to believe that it is worth getting into an alliance with SPLM. We are still under going some negotiations and I believe that the very few days to come will witness the signing of an agreement with SPLM and El-Beja conference.



Q: Your faction has categorically rejected the latest agreement signed in Asmara by some factions from eastern Sudan with NCP, what are the reasons of your objection?



A: The Asmara agreement was a unilateral agreement between NCP and the popular front which is the ruling party in Asmara. The agreement has not addressed the main issues regarding El-Beja people in eastern Sudan. the agreement has categorically excluded the indigenous people of eastern Sudan. It was only signed by eastern front which does not represent all the people of eastern Sudan. It is worth mentioning that almost all the people of eastern Sudan are against the agreement because it is not meant for the good of the people of eastern Sudan.



Q: NCP has been consistent in violating agreements, what are the guarantees that it will honour the current CPA and any other agreement that your faction may sign with the NCP in the future?



A: Let me thank you about this question because the answer is itself in the question. All the agreements that have been signed by different political parties and NCP have always been theoretically accepted by NCP but none of them have been implemented, because NCP has always been acting and taking the interest of its party before the interest of the country. The main problem is that NCP has been looking at others as its followers, but not real partners. The fact that NCP continue to violate agreement has led the country to the current state of instability and chaos. The current CPA has got international guarantees and it is a very clear agreement with very clear objectives. The Abuja agreement is static because NCP is not willing to bring on board all the other factions in Darfur. Concerning eastern Sudan, we signed agreement in 2004 and was thrown into the dustbin by NCP. The Asmara agreement to me is clinically dead because the agreement did not tackled the main issues of eastern Sudan despite the fact that the agreement has no international guarantees. Now all those who were with eastern front decided to join our faction (El-Beja Conference reformed and development).



Q: SPLM is advocating for new Sudan which will be based on secular system and constitution, how acceptable is that in eastern Sudan given the fact that the majority there are Muslims?



A: This is a good question. Our late leader and thinker Dr. John Garang call for new Sudan is an ideal for a country like Sudan. We in eastern Sudan were the first people to endorse the idea of new Sudan where all the people will live in harmony with one another regardless of their race and religion.



Q: What is the position of your faction regarding the current crisis in Darfur region?



A: there is real problem in Darfur. Those who deny this fact are shying away from the fact. There is real problem of development in Darfur. The problem of Darfur could be solved peacefully through negotiations with true determination and willingness to solve the problem. If government was to spend just half of what is being spend now in war in Darfur in development of the area, it would have avoided most of what is happening there now. Darfur would have been converted into a lively place where all could live in peace.



Q: What is your position regarding the indictment of the president Elbashir by ICC?



A: we reject the call by ICC to indict the president of the country because he is the symbol and the president of the country. Sudan is part and parcel of the international community; therefore all this could be resolved through the international community including UN.



Q: Your personal belongings including hotel and house were reported to have been confiscated by the government; would you please tell the readers more about that?



A: I am a business man and I owned a company. The NCP has confiscated my hotel in Red sea state and the family house in Port Sudan. All the company belongings were confiscated by the national congress party. I have discussed all this with the political leadership of the NCP and it was agreed that I should be compensated, but until now there is no any progress despite the fact that all the needed documents were submitted to the ministry of finance for compensation. In 5th September 2006 all my documents were submitted to the ministry of finance for my compensation, but there is no progress up to now. We have raised this with the president Omer Elbashir and his vices, but there is no response till now.



Q: You signed the agreement with the government in 2004 and you call it off in 2005, what were the reasons?



A: we in El-Beja Conference decided to take negotiation as the mean of resolving our issues and we started negotiations with the government in 2004 where we opened all the issues in a very fair way and as a result we reached an agreement with NCP. It was an agreement based on our position paper which contains all our demands. When we came in and started our political movement here we were officially registered as a political party, but the NCP as usual did not honour the agreement. NCP failed completely to implement a single article of the agreement. In 29th January 2005 when some members of Beja conference protested because of the lack of the implementation of the agreement, NCP and the government of the day then killed many innocent lives as a result of the protest which was peaceful. We then requested for official investigations to be carried out for those who lost their lives, but the NCP decided to ignore the whole things, therefore we decided to call the agreement off in 31st July 2005. That is how we call it off.



Q: Any message that you would like to share with the readers of Sudan Tribune and the public in general?



A: we in El-Beja Conference would like to call upon NCP to put the interest of the people of Sudan first before the interest of the party. We should work to build strong nation where all are equal and have same opportunities for development and progress.

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