Government is Not Ready to Address Root Causes of Sudanese Crisis: al-Hilu

SPLM-N leader al-Hilu speaks to Sudanese PM Hamdok after his arrival to Kauda on 9 January 2020 (SUNA photo)

August 27, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - Abdel Aziz al-Hilu the leader of the SPLM-N al-Hilu said the transitional government was not ready to address the root causes of the Sudanese conflict stressing that secularism remains the guaranty to defeat the political Islam.

Al-Hilu made his remarks at a virtual event hosted by the Africa Center of the Atlantic Council on 25 August to discuss the challenges facing the peace process in Sudan. Took part in the discussion panel Gibril Ibrahim of the Justice and Equality Movement, Elshafie Khidir, a Sudanese commentator close to the prime minister Hamdok and Annette Weber, Senior Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

The SPLM-N al-Hilu recently withdrew from the peace talks rejecting the leadership of the government negotiating delegation by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemetti), the commander of the Rapid Support Forces.

However, the main cause for the deadlock in the talks is that the government refuses his demand to include the secular state in the peace process. The government says such an issue should be discussed in the constitutional conference.

Al-Hilu said that the failure of the central government to manage Sudan’s diversity led to the Sudanese crisis after independence in 1956.

Therefore, this diversity must be recognized to ensure equality between all the religious and ethnic components of the country, he said.

"Under sharia Islamic law you cannot achieve equality between the diverse populations of Sudan," he stressed.

Speaking about the fate of the Juba process, he said that the transitional government is not for change, for the repeal of the sharia laws and for secularism.

Despite his scepticism, al-Hilu said that they did not withdraw from the Juba peace talks even if the talks are suspended.

Commenting on the government proposal to refer the secular state to the constitutional conference, the rebel leader that this position is an excuse to "avoid discussing the root causes of the problem".

"They want to defer the problem," he stressed.

(ST)