May 15, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Sudan appeared alarmed after two rebel leaders inked an alliance deal between their two groups that put a joint goal of overthrowing the regime of president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.

Abdel Wahid Al-Nur (L) and Minni Arcua Minnawi (AP)

Abdel Wahid Al-Nur and Minni Arcua Minnawi who both lead separate factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) signed the pact in an undisclosed location this week and vowed to work toward building a democratic regime in Sudan.

The parties "reiterate that the Sudanese crisis is comprehensive and deeply rooted. The conflict in Darfur can only be resolved as part of the overall Sudanese crisis," the text of the agreement reads.

Minnawi was the main signatory of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) in Abuja five years ago and was appointed as Bashir’s senior presidential assistant. He lost his position last year after mounting differences with Khartoum over DPA implementation and his marginalization from the peace talks in Doha with other rebel movements.

The NCP’s political secretary Haj Adam Youssef expressed regret over the Nur-Minnawi deal accusing "enemies of Sudan" of standing behind it.

"We were hoping that Abdul Wahid and Minnawi would unite in order to negotiate with the government through a shared vision to reach peace and stability, not to forge an alliance for war," Youssef said.

The NCP official said that both men tried war before and achieved nothing but destruction and are now repeating the same cycle. He reiterated the government’s pursuit of peace through the Doha venue or other efforts adding that the Darfur people "had enough of suffering and destruction".

However, Youssef warned that while the government does not want war, it would not stand idle in face of security threats. He said that the upcoming secession of South Sudan in July encouraged Minnawi and Nur to join ranks so that they receive weapons from the new state and head north.

(ST)