Addis Ababa, June 4(Darfur24)
The Coordination body of Civil Democratic Forces “Taqaddam” held its founding conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, from May 26 to 30, with the attendance of more than 600 participants, according to estimates by the conference’s preparatory committee.
The conference was held at the “Skylight” Hotel in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Most of the participants were coming from outside Sudan, while there were a few who came from Kordofan and Darfur via South Sudan, while the people from areas controlled by the army were unable to take part due to obstruction to their travel in Port Sudan, Gedaref and Sennar.
According to “Darfur 24” follow-ups, the authorities in the cities of Port Sudan, Gedaref and Sinar obstructed the travel of dozens of people who were chosen from their popular bases to participate in the conference.
While the security authorities in the city of Gedaref, eastern Sudan, refused to grant travel permits to some of those who intended to cross overland to Ethiopia, the security authorities in the city of Sennar arrested others and confiscated their passports before releasing them later.
The participants in the founding conference of the “Taqaddam” coordination represent political forces represented by the Forces of Freedom and Change Alliance, the Revolutionary Front, and the Republican Party, in addition to civil society, the Sudanese Professionals Association, and resistance committees, as well as representatives of professional groups such as “farmers, shepherds, civil administrations, Sufi orders, and others.”
Popular and popular
It was noteworthy that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, led by Abdulaziz Al-Hilu, participated with a high-ranking delegation led by Secretary-General Ammar Amoun, in addition to the participation of the Popular Congress led by Ali Al-Hajj, with a delegation led by Deputy Secretary-General Dr. Muhammad Badr al-Din, in addition to the participation of the original Federal Party with a delegation represented by Ibrahim al-Mirghani.
The participation of these organizations, especially the Popular Movement, received a remarkable response from the participants in the conference. This was demonstrated by the thunderous applause and standing by those attending the opening and closing sessions while mentioning or introducing the representatives of these organizations.
In his speech during the closing session, Ammar Amoun announced the SPLM’s commitment to what it signed with the “Taqaddum” coordination in the “Nairobi Declaration,” while Mohamed Badr al-Din announced the continuation of the rift with the National Congress Party, which is accused of being behind the continuation of the war.
Opening confusion
The opening day, which was postponed from May 26 to the next day, witnessed tightened security measures for attendees, as participants were prevented from entering with their phones, including some journalists, with the exception of others who were invited by Taqadum.
The next day, the person in charge of security arrangements, Khaled Shawish, corrected the mistake of preventing journalists from entering with their phones, and requested that their names be registered on a piece of paper at the entry gate, so that they could then enter with their phones.
Dr. Abdullah Hamdok, Fadlallah Barma Nasser, Muhammad Hassan Al-Taayshi, Al-Hadi Idris, and Asmaa Mahmoud Muhammad Taha sat on the podium of the opening session, while only three of those sitting spoke: “Hamdok, Al-Hadi, and Asmaa.”
The military’s agenda and demands for democratic transformation
According to “Darfur 24” follow-ups, the arms of both sides of the war were not far from the courtyard of the “Skylight” Hotel. According to an informed source, the conference included participants from supporters of the Sudanese army and others from the Rapid Support Forces, but the majority are supporters of democratic civil transformation, as demanded by the slogans of the Sudanese revolution. According to the source.
The chants of the slogans of the Sudanese revolution were loud throughout the hotel hosting the event, and it became clear that its supporters were the loudest, which aroused the ire of the “Rapid Support” supporters among the participants.
Chants of “the military are in the barracks and the Janjaweed are disbanding” reached the sky and echoed in the halls of “Skylight,” accompanied by ululations that mimicked those that signaled the start of processions of rejection of the regime of former President Omar al-Bashir.
These chants were more present on the closing day, as they moved into the closing session hall and sounded in a way that provoked one of the attendees, who came to represent the Rapid Support Forces in reality and not the body he had impersonated. He rose from his chair chanting, “Ready, speed, decisiveness,” and when he began his chanting, he was an anomaly in that Momentarily, some people intervened to dissuade him from what he was doing, but he refused and insisted on chanting. One of them came from behind and hit him violently in the face. Then another intervened before Ethiopian security came and took them outside.
The evidence is that many supporters of the National Umma Party have begun to divide their loyalty between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. During the days of the “Taqaddum” conference, the party witnessed deep disagreements that almost led to its division between Addis Ababa and Port Sudan.
Many supporters of the National Umma Party came from Darfur and Kordofan to participate in the conference to “advance” the agenda of the Rapid Support Forces more than they promoted the agenda of civil democratic transformation.
Meanwhile, there was another group in the National Umma Party that was opposed to the “Taqadum” conference, which almost split the party when it held a press conference in the city of Port Sudan in conjunction with the closing session of the founding conference of the Taqadum Coordination Conference, in which it launched attacks and accusations against “Taqadum.”
The National Umma Party movement is represented in the “Taqadum” coordination by its designated president, Fadlallah Barma Nasser, its Secretary-General, Al-Wathiq Al-Barir, and other prominent leaders, such as Siddiq Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi, who was chosen as Secretary-General of the Taqadum coordination.
While in the other group opposing the “Taqadum” coordination, there are Maryam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi, Abdul-Rahman Al-Sadiq, Rabah Al-Sadiq, and Lieutenant General Siddiq Ismail, while the presence of the head of the political bureau of the party, Muhammad Al-Mahdi Hassan, participating in the “Taqaddam” conference, and he was present in all the meetings it held, were present. Port Sudan group in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.