War threatens Sudan’s existence

Farouk Abu Eissa The chairman of Sudan's opposition National Congress Forces (NCF), Farouk Abu Eissa, launched a scathing attack on the government and the ruling party in Sudan, telling Arabstoday that Sudan is heading towards a political and economical collapse.
"The regime is being criticised because of widespread poverty and the deterioration of living standards because of policies pursued by the government 23 years ago, which resulted in a decline in agricultural and industrial revenue," he said.
Eissa, chairman of Arab Lawyers Union for more than 20 years and a former member of the Sudanese Communist Party, added: "The decrease in oil revenues has resulted in the Sudanese pound being extremely weak compared to foreign currencies, and this was the end to any economic aspirations."
 Concerning security in the states of South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur,  Eissa said: "The situation has remained the same since 2003, improving sometimes and deteriorating at other times .There are millons of emigrants now...the ??head of Darfur's regional authority, Tijani Cisse, revealed that there is 65 percent deficit, meaning the region is almost facing a famine. Blue Nile and South Kordofan, even though they are the first productive regions in the country, have had their agricultural season hindered by war for two years. The main reason for the war between the two regions is the ruling party because it refuses to negotiate with both states to consider political and security benefits given to them under the peace agreement signed in 2005 between the north and south."
 He added : "In spite of the success of the ruling party in signing agreements with the governor of Blue Nile in July last year, warmongers in the ruling party quickly decided to let war break out in both states, which led to  serious losses and thousands of victims."
Eissa said that both Sudan and South Sudan, which seceded from the former whole of Sudan wo tbecome the world's youngest independent nation last year, were at war , Juba’s disregard of  Khartoum’s sovereignty led it  to occupy the Heglig oil field which is internationally recognised as part of Sudan, on April 10. Although it is now controlled by the Sudanese army, tension previals on the border.
"Northern states of the country are unstable as a result of wrong policies bu the country's administration concerning dams and selling the lands of the citizens to foreign investors, and the transformation of indigenous people into refugees," said Eissa.
The politician added:  "Those parties which are a part of the current government are decorative and the final decision is planned and executed by the ruling National Congress. The goal of the opposition is to overthrow the regime by peaceful means and provide an opportunity for a democratic alternative based on respect for the rule of law and the judiciary...there should be a system that provides a fair share of power and wealth to all Sudanese parties, through a real federal system.”
Eissa denied being in contact with foreign sides or receiving foreign funds. He asserted: "I am a patriot who helped write our national history. I was a member in the Sudanese student movement which fought against colonialism, how can I work on distorting Sudan's political history by receiving money from outsiders? The National Congress wants to monopolise relations with the outside world, and the opposition has the right to meet with the accredited ambassadors of countries in Khartoum to consult with them.”
He added: “I have abandoned political parties since 1970 when I was a member of the Sudanese Communist Party.”
He concluded his speech by claiming president Omar al-Bashir's government did not respect human rights and that people were being repressed.
"Laws such as the National Security Act restrict freedom, and provide protection and immunity to officials contradictory to international conventions. The war is now threatening the existence of the Sudanese state, so we are working on eliminating tension and convince the parties of the importance of dialogue as a way to resolve issues."
The NCF and other opposition parties accused the ruling National Congress of monopolising decisions despite the presence of opposition parties in the cabinet.