September 12, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The speaker of Sudan’s national assembly, Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Tahir, has accused unnamed opposition parties and newspapers of complicity with the armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N).

Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Tahir, speaker of Sudan’s parliament (Website of Al-Ahram al-Yawm newspaper)

Al-Tahir, who is a senior member of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), on Tuesday lashed out at opposition parties, accusing them of displaying “negative” attitude towards the events in the country’s Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.

The two states bordering the Republic of South Sudan have been the scene of violent clashes between Sudan’s army (SAF) and SPLM-N fighters who were previously aligned with the south during its war against the north.

Sudan banned the SPLM-N and shuttered its offices as the fighting intensified in Blue Nile, alleging the group still maintains links with the ruling party in South Sudan.

According to Al-Tahir, his party had documents proving that the relations between some opposition parties and the SPLM-N, adding that some opposition groups sat with the SPLM-N and agreed to coordinate efforts to topple the government militarily.

The ruling party official moved from the opposition to attack the print-media, saying that some newspapers are being funded from abroad to voice support for the SPLM-N.

He added that his party possesses a lot of information which they discuss in “closed sessions.”

Al-Tahir warned that the hand of law would reach whoever waging a war against Sudan whether through military support or intelligence with the outside.

He further said he expected the parliament in the upcoming days to issue a resolution appointing a new for the Blue Nile State after president Al-Bashir sacked the SPLM-N’s elected governor Malik Aggar and appointed an interim military ruler in his place.

The head of the parliament urged the Sudanese people to aid the government in hunting down SPLM-N’s leaders Yasir Arman, Malik Aggar and Abdul Aziz Al-Hilu in order to bring them to trial.

Meanwhile, the SPLM-N has announced it held a meeting on Monday with the U.S. special envoy to Sudan Princeton Lyman and agreed on the urgent need to address the humanitarian crisis in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

According to a press release undersigned by the SPLM-N’s secretary-general Yasir Arman, the two sides agreed to continue talks on delivery of aid to the needy in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The SPLM-N reiterated calls for establishing an independent committee to investigate allegations of human rights abuses in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Further the SPLM-N told the US diplomat they refuse to disarm their fighters unless within a framework of new security arrangements in the two states, assigning blame to the NCP for the eruption of war because of its attempt to forcibly disarm SPLM-N forces.

(ST)