A key militia group in Sudan’s west formerly aligned to the government has cast doubt on whether the ruling party will continue with plans for the National Dialogue initiative earlier announced by the president.

Ahmed Mohamed Abakar, the spokesman for the El Sahwa Revolutionary Council headed by militia leader Musa Hilal, told Radio Dabanga in an interview on Tuesday that he anticipates the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) may withdraw its proposal to hold a national dialogue.

The political figure is part of the group led by Musa Hilal, a tribal leader of the Arab Mahameed clan in North Darfur and former Presidential Assistant for Federal Affairs.

Hilal in mid-2013 left Khartoum and returned to his armed followers in North Darfur, where he soon came into tension with the state governor, whose position he is said to covet.

“There are indications that the NCP will not continue preparing for a national dialogue,” said Abaker.

President Al Bashir launched the dialogue last January, calling on all Sudanese political parties and armed opposition groups to discuss four issues: “ending the civil wars, allowing political freedoms, fighting against poverty, and revitalising Sudan’s national identity.”

According to the spokesman of the El Sahwa council, “Recent conflicts within the NCP, the detention of political leaders, the gagging of the press, along with the absence of any possibility to reach a comprehensive solution, are all signs that the government is not serious about the dialogue.”

Abakar said that the ruling NCP had two goals in calling for a national dialogue: “The first aim was uniting the NCP and El Turabi’s Popular Congress Party into one party, and the second one concentrated on an early preparation for the elections scheduled for next year.”

He pointed out that key demands of opposition parties had not been put in place to allow the national dialogue to take place, saying the state of emergency had not been lifted, nor a ceasefire put in place, nor political detainees released, nor restrictions on the press lifted. 

Turabi’s party, mentioned by Abakar, had earlier indicated they would participate in the dialogue, as had the Umma Party and Reform Now Party. Since the detention of the Umma Party leader last month, however, the Umma party withdrew its participation, and other opposition figures have cast further doubt on the political dialogue initiative.

Photo: Sheikh Musa Hilal (New York Times)

Reporting by Radio Dabanga

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Sudan president Omar al Bashir visits Chad (29 March)

North Darfur governor survives assassination attempt (16 March)