Southern Sudanese citizens march in the streets in support of the independence referendum in Juba, South Sudan, 9 December 2010. (Reuters)
National Congress Party (NCP) senior official Ibrahim Ghandour has accused the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) of wanting the country void of Arabism and Islam.
According to a report by Al-Jazeera.net, Ghandour claimed that all through the transitional period, the aforementioned movement has been calling for separation, suggesting that southerners were hated, oppressed, and marginalised.
He further denied in the report that the NCP attempted to sabotage the registration process for southerners living in the north and accused the SPLM of fear mongering.
Ghandour also asserted that the NCP’s position remains dedicated to holding a transparent and fair referendum for the self determination of the south. He reinforced the necessity to eventually respect its results should they reflect the people’s wishes.
However, Ghanddour rejected the idea of holding the NCP solely responsible for the south's desired independence. The NCP, Ghandour said, “will not be held alone responsible, we were not the first to grant the Southerners the right to self-determination.”
“We did not come up with anything new when we signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005,” he explained, adding that it was a great achievement, bringing the longest war in Africa to a close.
“We will not regret it even if the secession happens; we finished what the opposition had started.”
When asked about the fate of southerners living in the north should the south get its independence he said that it is “governed by law” assuring the government’s abidance with international laws and human rights.
But dual nationality would not be possible as suggested by the SPLM. “If they want dual nationality then why don’t we remain a single nation,” he said.
“As for their property and rights, they will remain untouched and unharmed,” Ghandour added.
The NCP official also emphasised that southerners living in the north would not be expelled.
Ghandour condemned the SPLM’s support for Darfur’s rebels, stressing that “partitioning Sudan into states is a renowned Zionist scheme.”
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