The position of the National Democratic Rally on the protocols
Peace and its options for the next stage
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 to achieve democratic transformation and consolidate 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 affirm 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 effort required 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 intertwining and overlapping of its episodes (peace, unity, democracy and balanced development), cannot be resolved through an alliance or partnership 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 requires that the final agreement reached by the two parties be presented to a broad conference that includes all representatives of the Sudanese political forces.
Second: The Sudanese political forces agree on a national consensus program that governs the transitional period, and all transitional bodies 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 addresses the shortcomings and negatives found in this agreement, including the issue of balanced political participation in the institutions of the legislative and executive transitional period and the proposed commissions. 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 a commitment to holding a national economic conference during the period before the transitional period, the results of whose work 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 (for the 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.
National Democratic Rally options:
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 line with 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 that this requires in its structures and work mechanisms.
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: adherence 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 of 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.