Yasser Jafar al-Sanhouri, a member of the leadership of SPLM-N, a Sudanese rebel group currently fighting the Sudanese government in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, placed a pre-condition calling for the relaxation of laws restricting rights and freedoms on their negotiation with Khartoum. 

He did, however, welcome the Sudanese president’s decree releasing SPLM-N and other political prisoners.

His statement follows the announcement issued by president Bashir last Monday ordering the release of all political detainees and calling for comprehensive dialogue with all Sudanese political forces, including rebel groups.

Yasser told Radio Tamazuj yesterday that the solution to violence in Sudan lies not only in the release of detainees, but also in dropping all laws that restrict freedom, including the Security Service Act and the Public Order Act:

“In the first place we welcome the release of the political detainees, but think the release is not the only solution. The solution is the dropping of all the laws restrict freedoms, security service act and public order act.”

The axing of these laws would, he claims, allow all political forces in Sudan to express their positions peacefully so as also to promote an atmosphere of dialogue.

He added, “These are the laws through which people are detained in Sudan. If president Bashir was serious, then he was supposed to drop all laws which restrict freedoms so as to create a conducive environment for dialogue amongst all the political forces, so that each and every person can express his view freely.”

File photo: South Kordofan