لندن: دبلوماسى السفارة يفقد أعصابه وترفض اساءته فى Chatham House....

Quote: The Northern Question Presentation for Chatham House Forum By Yasir Arman SPLM-N Secretary General3rd October 2011 What's the Northern question: • Sudan is often perceived in terms of dichotomies of North-South, Musilm-Christian, Arabs-Africans; these are oversimplification of the Sudanese question. After the independence of the Republic of South Sudan, the North could now be seen as an entity on its own. • The Northern question should be seen as a crisis emanating from the lack of an inclusive national project of nation-building and a correct national formation process based on the objective realities of Sudan and on the historical and contemporary diversities, democratisation, social justice and a balanced relation between the Centre and the regions or the peripheries. • The present national project is based on a limited parameters that marginalised and excluded the majority of the Sudanese people on cultural, religious, economic, political and gender basis. • Marginalization and dictatorship produces continuous wars and instability. • The mis-management, non-recognition of diversities, lack of democracy and social justice lead the people of South Sudan to choose an independence state. • A new political and geographical South has emerged in the North: it is obvious that Sudan will not remain without a new geographical South after the old traditional South has gone. • It is equally obvious that the old South was not a geography- it has a human dimension in the first place, it was the long struggle for recognition of diversity, democracy and social justice, that continues in the new South of the Northern Sudan. • It worth mentioning that the new South of the North politically includes women, arab tribes and non-arab tribes all over Sudan (Rizeigat, Messeriya and Rashaida in Eastern Sudan, and many others), again it includes the marginalised of the rural areas and the urban poor who are the majority. • The policies and decisions of the ruling National Congress Party created a full-scale war in the new geographical South of Northern Sudan, from Darfur to Blue Nile. In addition, the relations between Sudan and the newly-independent Republic of South Sudan is an un-finished business. • You can only have two viable states and strategic relation between Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan when Khartoum is being transformed and the two states share the same values. Democratic states rarely fight against each other. • As a result of intransigence of the National Congress leadership to maintain the old policies led to the split of the South, as they were based on hegemony, limited parameters and a bankrupt ideology- that does recognise the diversity of Sudan as stated in General Omer Al-bashier speeches- like the famous Gaddaref speech and many other that followed. • Based on the above policies the National Congress targeted the SPLM-N, which is viewed by them as a formidable immanent political and military threat. As a consequence, they started the war in South Kordofan, Nuba Mountain and Blue Nile that resulted in displacement of more than 300,000 civilians and others crossed the borders as refugees in the republic of South Sudan and Ethiopia. • Atrocites and war crimes committed in this war, many lost their lives, injured, detained and mass graves were found in Kadugli, and up to today the Sudan Army Air Force is bombarding the civil population and civil installations. • Access for humanitarian operations are being denied by the National Congress in front of the eyes and ears of the International Community. • SPLM-N has been banned, an elected Governor of Blue Nile removed from office, a state of emergency has been declared, and more than 140 SPLM-N leaders all-over the North are detained. • The Characteristics of the Present SItuation in Northern Sudan • The economy is in deep crisis and the scope is wide and complex and it will produce more marginalization that will definitely lead to social unrest and more wars. • A full-scale war from Darfur to Blue Nile, the new South of the North. • There is a governance crisis that an only be resolved through democratisation and re-structuring of the Centre. • There are intense rivalries and power struggles within the different groups in the National Congress and within the Army. • A sea of revolutions (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia… etc.) around Sudan that delegitimised the rule of one-party system. • Unresolved serious issues with the Republic of South Sudan. • What do we Need from the International Community: In my visit to the United States, UK and tomorrow to France our message is: 1- There is a need for a strong pressure on Khartoum to allow a delivery of an immediate humanitarian assistance, and safe corridors to deliver humanitarian assistance should allowed to credible international organisations, such as WFP, UNICEF, ICRC, as well as the indigenous NGOs. 2- We ask for an independent international committee to investigate the war crimes and human rights violations committed by Sudan government against the civil population impunity would encourage more atrocities. 3- The civil population need to be protected from the air bombardment, and air bombardment should stop. 4- Finally, the international community after a long experience on the issues of peace and war in Sudan, iti is high-time for all of us to adopt a holistic approach in resolving te Sudanese crisis by addressing the essence of the crisis not its manifestations. The seed-bed of all crisis (the mother of all crises!!) is Khartoum- it isn't on Kadugli, Nyla or Port-Sudan. The Way Out: From where we stand, we believe the only way to resolve the war issue and governance crisis in Sudan is to remove the NCP regime, and to transform and re-structure the seat of power in Khartoum, and to establish a democratic government that will come as the result of unity of all opposition forces and civil societies. An alliance seeking change and democracy in a broad national Sudanese consensus and resistance umbrella with new blueprint that will lead an historical paradigm shift from the old politics. The SPLM-N is committed to develop the political and military structures of the Kauda Alliance between the armed resistance movements in shortest possible time. As well as reaching out to the rest of the opposition. General Bashier disowned the Addis Ababa Framework Agreement, which was an opportunity for the National Congress to become a stakeholder in the transformation, but it has failed to reach an agreement with any of the Sudanese political and resistance movements. They will either change or they will be changed. What left for all of us now, is to change them. As Dr. John Garang used to say: …'They are too deformed t be reformed'. Lastly, the SPLM-N will continue to work for the unity of Sudan on a new basis. Aunity that is between two independent states in the North and the South. In order to create two viable states in a new Sudanese union, working in harmony, and building strategic relations with the Region and the neighbouring countries, and adding value to regional peace and stability worldwide.