SSDF President Calls for Unity of Southern Parties

By Isaac Vuni

April 25, 2009 (JUBA) — The second national convention of South Sudan Democratic Forum (SSDF) kicked off today in Juba, the capital of southern Sudan, drawing 50 delegates from each of the ten states of southern Sudan and Khartoum representing northern states.

The theme was: “To be a nation we must be united, to be united we must espouse equality and freedom to all our people regardless of their clan, gender, region, religion or political affiliation.”

Highly delighted, party president Martin Elias Lomuro, who is also minister of parliamentary affairs, said they are for better democratic change in Sudan as stipulated in their convention.

He called for unity of Sudanese particularly southerners who had suffered 50 years underdevelopment at all levels while north developed at southern expense, then he declared the convention opened at 11.25 a.m.

Speaking on behalf of the southern government and SPLM party, Dr. Luka Monoja explained that SPLM has signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement with the Government of Sudan, not with the country’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

He reiterated that SPLM is committed to implementing the CPA in letter and spririt, paving the way for southerners and Abyei’s people to decide either for unity or separation from the north, as the ruling government in Khartoum bids to “make unity attractive” by sharing wealth with the south.

Hon. James Surur, speaking on behalf of Union of Sudan African Parties (USAP), reiterated the objective of establishing USAP at a time when northerners were not willing to listen to southerners concerning a call for unity of Sudan, then told delegates that it was now appropriate to live as good neighbors with northerners.

He added that southerners are no longer slaves and will never be cheated again by northern Sudanese. Surur appealed for unity of southern political parties to enable southerners to “reach the Promised Land” in the coming referendum on January 9, 2011, in which they can vote for self-determination.

Similarly, a representative of SSDF, Hon. James Anderia, elucidated that suffering of southerners started since 1820 under the Anglo-Egyptian colonial administration. In 1898 the Mahdiya revolution collected southerners as slaves to extend Khartoum into one of the biggest slaves centers in Africa, he said.