In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
National Democratic Rally
Leadership body meeting
Asmara 14 - 22 July 2004 AD
Decisions and recommendations
The leadership body of the National Democratic Rally held its regular meeting in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, from Wednesday, July 14, to Thursday, July 22, 2004, after listening to the speech of Mawlana Mr. Muhammad Othman Al-Mirghani, Chairman of the National Democratic Rally and Chairman of the Democratic Unionist Party, and the speech of Dr. John Garang de Mabior, Member of the Leadership Body and Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. After reviewing the report submitted by the committee charged with developing the group’s position on the six peace protocols, enlightenment about the escalating events in the Darfur region, and the report of the group’s secretariat inside, and after extensive discussion about all the agendas presented at the meeting table, the leadership body reached the following decisions:
First: in the procedural aspect.
1- The leadership body approved the draft agenda and timetable for the meeting sessions.
2- It approved Mr. Abdel Wahed Mohamed Ahmed Nour as a member of the leadership body of the Sudan Liberation Movement.
3- It approved Mr. Minni Arko Minawi as a member of the executive office of the Sudan Liberation Movement.
4- The meeting granted the two factions of the Sudanese coalition and the Sudanese coalition forces the status of observers in the meetings of the leadership body and the executive office, starting from this meeting and until a final solution is reached.
Second: On the political side.
On the Darfur crisis:
After listening to the enlightenment and additional explanation provided by the Sudan Liberation Movement and after reviewing the memorandum submitted by the Professional Forces Association for Darfur Rights Inside about the developments in the situation in Darfur and the repercussions created by the unfolding crisis in Darfur and the deterioration that befell the lives of citizens, rape, burning of villages and violation of human rights, which led to the displacement of more than a million citizens as a result of government policies and by the Janjaweed militias, which The international community and the United Nations denounced it in an unprecedented way, and after extensive deliberation and discussion, the leadership body affirmed its condemnation of the horrific deterioration that the humanitarian situation has reached in Darfur and demands the following:
1. Respect the ceasefire concluded between the Sudan Liberation Movement and the government.
2. Eliminate the Janjaweed militias, disarm them immediately, and bring their leaders to trial, provided that this is done under international supervision.
3. Investigate crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing, determine responsibility, and bring the perpetrators to court
4. Rehabilitating villages that were destroyed, returning their original inhabitants, providing security and care, and compensating anyone who suffered damage to their property.
5. Rehabilitation of infrastructure.
6. Banning military flights in Darfur, banning the entry of weapons, and monitoring all means of land transportation in order to strengthen the ceasefire.
7. Organizing a broad regional and international mobilization campaign that addresses the relevant organizations to attract humanitarian support to relieve those affected and deliver humanitarian aid.
8. Intensifying contacts with all organizations concerned with humanitarian affairs in the Arab, Islamic and international environment and ensuring continued humanitarian support for the people of Darfur.
Declaration of principles on Darfur
1- The Darfur problem is a political problem, and it is part of the comprehensive crisis and a real consequence of it, and it will not find a way to be addressed except within the framework of the comprehensive political solution that the National Democratic Rally seeks to achieve through the Jeddah Framework Agreement, and building on top of what was achieved in the Naivasha peace protocols.
2- The Darfur crisis is the result of the political and economic marginalization of large sectors of Sudanese society, and it cannot be treated except by adopting the approach of dialogue and negotiation to reach a just, peaceful political solution based on a commitment to removing the roots of conflicts and rejecting violence.
3- Emphasizing the principle of democratic transformation, ensuring public freedoms, respect for human rights, and the rule of law guaranteed by the permanent and transitional constitution based on the right to citizenship, separation of powers, equality of rights and duties, and non-discrimination between citizens on the basis of race, religion, culture, or gender.
4- Fair participation in power at all levels and commitment to the principle of decentralized (federal) governance based on the distribution of powers between the center and the region in a way that allows the regions to govern themselves on their own.
5- Adopting a fair distribution of the revolution at the central and regional levels to achieve comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development.
6- Establishing land ownership in Darfur on the historical rights of different tribes, taking into account the public interest
7- Investigate violations and adopt the principle of compensation and reparation
8- Spreading the spirit of reconciliation and coexistence among the tribes of Darfur and refraining from exploiting tribal conflicts for political purposes in order to preserve the social fabric.
9- Respecting human rights in accordance with international conventions, committing to include them in the transitional and permanent constitution, and emphasizing the principle of independence of the judiciary, separation of powers, and not exploiting religion in politics.
10- By agreeing on the above-mentioned principles, hostilities will be halted, a ceasefire will be established, transitional arrangements will be agreed upon to stop the war, and direct negotiations will be entered into in order to approve a just and equitable settlement to end the ongoing war in Darfur.
On the group’s position on the peace protocols:
First: The group’s position on the peace protocols
The National Democratic Rally welcomes the peace protocols signed between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Sudanese government, and believes that they represent an important step towards ending the civil war and addressing the roots of the chronic Sudanese crisis, and thus they constitute the end of a phase and the beginning of a new phase for achieving democratic transformation and consolidating peace. The agreement provides a basis for restructuring the unified national structure on new foundations that differ from the foundations that have existed since the dawn of independence, foundations that take into account the broad response to the regions’ requirements for decentralized governance and participation in power and development, and at the same time take into account the necessity of balance between the center and these regions, and confirm the country’s unity within the framework of its diversity and ethnic, religious and cultural pluralism. Therefore, the National Democratic Rally will work to exploit this rare opportunity provided by the agreement to address the aspects of the Sudanese crisis, by focusing and developing its positive aspects, and at the same time making the required effort to remedy its imbalances, starting with the fact that it was concluded between only two parties to the political equation in Sudan, in addition to a number of observations approved by the Rally in its evaluation of the protocols. In this regard, the Assembly considers the following measures a basic condition without which the agreement cannot achieve its desired goals:
First: The Sudanese crisis, with its depth and the complexity and overlapping of its episodes (peace, unity, democracy and balanced development), cannot be resolved through agreement between two parties alone, nor can it be treated as a by-product of resolving the issue of civil war in the south of the country. It is the task of all Sudanese political and social forces represented in the various parties and organizations. The agreement also did not end the factors of separation and threats to unity, and this is the responsibility of everyone in the North and South. Therefore, the National Democratic Rally proposes that the final agreement reached by the two parties be presented to a broad conference that includes all representatives of Sudanese political forces.
Second: The Sudanese political forces agree on a national consensus program that governs the transitional period, and all transitional agencies are committed to implementing it, and the various parties are also guided by it in their political practice. This program is built on the basis of its commitment to the peace agreement signed between the SPLM and the Sudanese government, and at the same time it addresses the shortcomings and negatives found in this agreement, most notably the division of the country on a religious basis, as well as the issue of balanced political participation in the institutions of the transitional period. In light of this program, the National Democratic Rally determines the form of its participation in the transitional government bodies.
Third: The National Democratic Rally sees the necessity of linking the peace agreement to immediately addressing the unfolding crisis in Darfur in its humanitarian and political dimensions. The correct approach to this response is to recognize that what is happening in Darfur is a true manifestation of the general crisis that Sudan is experiencing, the most prominent manifestations of which are the continuing marginalization of the country’s parties, including Darfur, and that the problem is political and requires a national political solution.
Fourth: The government is committed to immediately begin implementing all the requirements for democratic transformation: spreading public freedoms, abolishing exceptional laws restricting freedoms, lifting the state of emergency, lifting censorship of newspapers, freedom of political and union work...etc.
Fifth: Within the framework of the national consensus program called for by the assembly, and based on the wealth distribution protocol signed between the two parties, the assembly sees the necessity of agreeing on an appropriate and effective mechanism to rehabilitate the Sudanese economy and address the issues of unbalanced development in the country, with the priority being to address the issues of livelihood and the suffering of the daily life of the Sudanese citizen. In this regard, the group proposes to commit to holding a national economic conference during the period before the transitional period, the results of which will be part of the program for the transitional period.
Sixth: Addressing the issue of displaced persons, displaced persons, and forcibly displaced people, and working on their return to their original villages and cities.
Seventh: Addressing the issue of those arbitrarily dismissed (on the grounds of public interest) from the civil and military service.
Eighth: Accountability and accountability for human rights violations and financial and administrative corruption during previous years.
Ninth: Conducting national reconciliation based on revealing the facts.
Second: Options for the National Democratic Rally:
There are several basic and pivotal factors that govern the determination of the group’s options in dealing with the new reality created by the agreement:
First: Although the Sudan People's Liberation Movement has signed peace protocols with the Sudanese government, it is an integral part of the National Democratic Rally in the struggle for decisive and effective solutions to the Sudanese crisis. In this context, it adheres to the decisions of the National Democratic Rally, most notably the 1995 Asmara Charters regarding crucial issues.
Second: The basic and necessary condition for achieving democratic transformation and consolidating peace remains the continuation of the National Democratic Rally, cohesive and unified, and developing its visions, programs and work mechanisms in proportion to the developments of the stage imposed by the agreement, and in response to the requirements of the new political reality. In this regard, the group develops a specific work program that is implemented at two levels:
Internal level: It is based on mobilizing and mobilizing the mass movement in order to achieve democratic transformation, in order to support the peace process and in order to transform the agreement into a comprehensive and comprehensive agreement, including bringing Darfur and the East into the equation.
External level: It is based on providing all possible support for the group’s activity at home and managing the expected negotiation with the government.
Therefore, holding the third conference of the group as soon as possible constitutes an important priority with the aim of confirming the unity of the group, and the necessity of absorbing the political developments after the signing of the peace agreement, and the development and modification of its structures and work mechanisms that this requires.
Third: The National Democratic Rally will throw all its weight into participating in the mechanisms for achieving democratic transformation in the country. But the group's other options, including participation in the transitional government, will be determined in light of two specific possibilities:
The first possibility: adhering to the signed protocols as they are without involving other political forces in discussing and approving them, and without providing appropriate mechanisms that meet the issue of inclusion and broad participation.
The second possibility: Implementing the requirements for democratic transformation and agreeing on a program to govern the transitional period upon which all political forces agree. Achieving this possibility depends on two outcomes:
1- The outcome of the next round of negotiations between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and the Sudanese government on the mechanisms for implementing the agreement.
2- The outcome of the expected negotiations between the assembly and the government on the basis of the framework agreement to find a comprehensive political solution to the Sudanese problem, which occurred between the assembly and the government in the city of Jeddah on 12/4/2003, as well as the outcome of the negotiations on the explosive situation in Darfur.
3/ On activating the Jeddah Framework Agreement
A. The meeting welcomed the government's agreement to begin dialogue with the group in accordance with the Jeddah Framework Agreement.
B. The meeting assigned the Political Committee, headed by the President of the Assembly, to follow up on the negotiation file.
C. The leadership body prepared a declaration of principles to guide the negotiating delegation. (attached)
4/ About the internal secretariat report
The leadership body reviewed the report submitted by the Interior Secretariat, subjected it to extensive discussion, approved it, and decided the following:
1. Directing the competent authorities to implement what is stated therein.
2. Assigning the Secretariat to complete the work of its technical committees related to the Jeddah Framework Agreement.
3. Referring secretariat reports on the peace protocols and the Jeddah Framework Agreement to the Political Committee.
5/ About the national consensus memorandum
The assembly is considered a project for national consensus, benefiting from the draft prepared by a consultative meeting for the assembly in conjunction with the Umma Party in August 2003 in Cairo, and benefiting from the draft social contract proposed by Dr. John Garang and any other documents. The leadership body decided to form a committee of: -
1- Lieutenant General Abdul Rahman Saeed
2- Mr. Farouk Abu Issa
3- Dr. Pacificoladololic
4- Mr. Abdullah Kanna
5- Mr. Muhammad Sayed Ahmed Ateeq
6- Mr. Issa Hamdeen
7- Mr. Hatem Al-Sir Ali
8- Dr. Al-Shafi’i Khidr Saeed
The committee is authorized to complete the formulation of the draft and present it to all factions of the National Democratic Rally, and then formulate it in its final form and issue it in the name of the National Democratic Rally after all factions of the Rally agree upon it by passing.
Organizational aspect
A. About the Women's Conference
The leadership body reviewed the obstacles that prevented the establishment of the women’s conference, in the presence of some members of the preparatory committee, and reached the following decisions:
1- The continuation of the preparatory committee formed from all the representatives of the bloc’s factions and its authorization to decide everything related to the conference.
2- Abolition of the committee supervising the preparation, which is composed of the National Democratic Rally’s registration body.
3- The Leadership Council directs the Executive Office to provide all necessary assistance for the work of the Preparatory Committee.
4- The leadership body directs the Secretary-General to form a small committee to discuss ways to obtain the necessary financial support to hold the conference.
5- Coordination between the assembly and the preparatory committee is carried out by the Secretary-General or the Secretary of Organization and Administration.
B. About the third conference of the group
The leadership body decided to form a specialized committee to prepare for the third conference of the gathering, including the following:
1- Mr. Al-Tijani Al-Tayeb Babiker President
2- Mr. Al-Tom Musa Hajo Member
3- Mr. Muhammad Wadaa Member
4- Dr. Pacifico Lado Lulek Member
5- Mr. Issa Hamdeen Member
The committee seeks assistance from whomever it deems appropriate to perform its work.
The committee's headquarters will be in Cairo.
The committee submits a report on its work at the first meeting of the leadership body.
T. About the Protocol for Humanitarian Organizations
The leadership body approved the protocol submitted by the Secretariat of Humanitarian Affairs related to coordinating the work of organizations, and decided to refer it to the Executive Office to develop it through legal authorities and supervise its implementation.
God bless you,,,
Final statement of the meeting of the leadership of the National Democratic Rally, Asmara, July 2004