SLM leader calls on General Burhan to accept the roadmap to peace

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00:00And Sudan's top general has rejected a ceasefire proposal provided by US-led mediators,

00:06describing the plan as the worst yet.

00:10It's seen as a significant blow to efforts to end a devastating war

00:14that's gripped the African country for more than 30 months and killed thousands.

00:19General Abdel Fattah Bernan saying the proposal was unacceptable,

00:24accusing the mediators of being biased in their efforts to end the war.

00:27For Sudan plunged into chaos back in April 2023,

00:31when a power struggle between the military and the powerful paramilitary rapid support forces

00:37exploded into open war in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.

00:43Joining me now is Abdel Wahid Mohammed Noor, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement.

00:49Abdel Wahid, thank you so much for your time.

00:51What is your reaction to the general's comments about the latest peace proposal?

00:57Our belief is that it is time for Sudanese to get rid of this devastating war.

01:06And it is time for them that at least to breathe without bullets, without shells,

01:14without chemical weapons, without terrorizing people,

01:19you know, that driven them from their home.

01:22It is time for them to have a rest.

01:25And very sad that General Burhan, who claims that he is head of the sovereignty council,

01:37he has to be more care for the Sudanese life, not to escalate,

01:42but to accept what Khartoum proposed, because it is a road map of the December revolutions.

01:52And he is the one who made coup against the Sudanese will.

01:55So it is time for him to accept, not to reject, because people of Sudan,

02:02they are really seeking and dying for a true peace,

02:07which never took place in our country since we currently withdrawn in 1956.

02:15I understand you're in Europe raising support to help with peacemaking efforts.

02:20In your opinion, what would be the best way to hold peace negotiations?

02:26It's a great question.

02:28Thank you for it.

02:29And thank you for having me here.

02:31This is what I forgot.

02:33Well, you know that Sudanese people, they impose peace from foreigners.

02:41This is what happened in C.P.A., in D.P.A., in Abuja agreement, in Doha.

02:53And now, Khartoum, they got a road map.

02:57And we are so happy for it, because it's addressing the root cause of the country.

03:03It's addressing the regain, the legitimacy of the December revolution,

03:08and also excluding Islamists, as well as the military and paramilitary groups

03:15for political process and political future of our country.

03:20When we came here, our question was one.

03:24As SLM, we took a neutral position in this war,

03:29which put a lot of responsibility on us,

03:35because our territory is only safe haven in our country for the moment.

03:41More than 6 million IDPs from Khartoum,

03:45from across the country,

03:47Jazira, White Nile, Kurdistan, and, of course, from Darfur.

03:52They came to our area.

03:54Yes, we provide security for them,

03:57but we were not able to provide food,

04:01shelters, medicine assistance,

04:04education system for their children,

04:07most of them their families,

04:09and children over age.

04:12The big number of these families.

04:14But I want to come back to my question about

04:16what would be the best way to shape peace talks.

04:19And I imagine you want just Sudanese parties involved,

04:23not interested in other foreign parties.

04:26But having said that,

04:28the United Arab Emirates,

04:30even though it denies it,

04:32is being reportedly a key provider of weapons for the RSF.

04:38So I want to ask you, logistically,

04:40how can you do it?

04:41How can you create a peacemaking process

04:44where you just have Sudanese people involved?

04:47You know that Emirates,

04:50that's what you mentioned,

04:52but there are other countries providing weapons

04:55to the Islamists who make a coup more than 53 years old.

05:02So what we need is that to bring,

05:06to allow Sudanese to sit together,

05:08and we as SLM propose,

05:11when Sudanese people revolt against al-Bashir

05:14and topical Bashir in April 2019,

05:21we propose Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue.

05:24All of us as Sudanese political parties,

05:29armed resistance group,

05:31civil society,

05:33tribal chiefs,

05:36youth and opposed gender,

05:38and et cetera,

05:40sit together

05:41and to address the historical root cause

05:44of our problem in our country.

05:48Who we are

05:49to address the historical question

05:52which you are not answered yet.

05:54And it does come back to that,

05:56doesn't it?

05:57It's about...

05:57Yes, it is about Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue.

06:01Sudanese...

06:01To determine for the...

06:03To have a new charter.

06:06Yes.

06:06As Sudanese to live together equally.

06:09What do you think of President Trump's comments

06:11that he plans to put greater attention

06:14on helping to find an end to the war in Sudan?

06:18This, of course, after his meeting

06:20with the Saudi prince,

06:22Mohammed Bill Salman,

06:24in Washington,

06:25do you think he has the wherewithal

06:28to help end the conflict?

06:30Or, again,

06:31is it a case of this has got to come

06:33solely from within the Sudanese population?

06:36You know, that's very slickly...

06:38We didn't comment on this,

06:40but it's time for us to comment

06:42because the occasion came from you.

06:45We highly welcome the appeal

06:48and the discussion

06:50between Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,

06:53Mohammed bin Salman

06:54and President Trump,

06:57that they really want to put

06:59a heavy effort

07:00to stop this disaster war

07:04in our country.

07:05As SLM,

07:06as the chairman of it

07:07and founder of it,

07:08we highly recommend it

07:10and highly welcome it.

07:12But as I told you,

07:14the Quad,

07:15they did their best

07:16that they put as a road map,

07:18but it is us as the Sudanese

07:20to work on it

07:22and to invest in this situation,

07:24to sit together

07:25and to grab this historical time

07:31to put an end at once

07:34with the Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue,

07:37which we initiate many times.

07:39And for us now,

07:40it is a time,

07:41Sudanese,

07:42all of us,

07:43to have a responsibility.

07:45Peace will not be imposed.

07:47Peace,

07:48we are the one

07:49who will make a peace

07:51because it is our country.

07:54It is not other people's country.

07:56And we will be

07:57the number one

07:58who have interest

08:00to see our country

08:02being treated

08:04and healed

08:06from this

08:06more than,

08:09nearly 70 years

08:11in war.

08:12You've got a situation

08:13where tens of thousands

08:15of people

08:16have been killed.

08:1714 million people

08:19have been forced

08:20to flee their homes.

08:22And at this point,

08:23there does not seem

08:24to be an end

08:25in sight.

08:27So,

08:28with what you're saying,

08:30is this a failure

08:31on the part

08:32of the international community

08:34more than anything else?

08:35Have they failed

08:36to prioritise efforts

08:38not only

08:39among other parties

08:41but also locally

08:42as well?

08:44It is our failure

08:45as a Sudanese

08:46not international community.

08:48Every country

08:49has its own problem

08:51but they sit together.

08:54Bravely,

08:55they address

08:56what is our problem.

08:58They dialogue

08:59and they counter

09:01each other

09:01but in the end

09:03they reach

09:04in an agreement

09:05which was

09:06a new charter

09:07and heal

09:09and break

09:10their indifference

09:11and come

09:12to a new charter

09:14and now

09:15they have peace

09:16in their country

09:17and they're

09:18managing their problem

09:21with peaceful way

09:22not with gun confronting.

09:26So,

09:26it is our problem

09:27where we are not

09:29escaping God

09:30others.

09:31It is time

09:31for us

09:32to blame ourselves

09:33and it is only

09:34ourselves

09:34to blame

09:35without sitting together

09:37equally

09:38in an equal

09:39citizenship right

09:40to address

09:42all our problems.

09:44It is us

09:45who are making

09:46crime to our country

09:47and to ourselves

09:48and to our next

09:49generations

09:50not any others.

09:53Abdel Wahid Noor

09:54it's been a pleasure

09:55speaking to you.

09:56Thank you so much.

09:57Thank you very much.

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