Xinhua
November 30,2014
KHARTOUM, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Sunday reiterated his rejection of autonomous rule for South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas, which are witnessing clashes between the Sudanese army and rebels of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector.
“We reject any new agreements regarding the Blue Nile and South Kordofan areas and we absolutely reject the idea of autonomous rule for the two areas,” al-Bashir said at a press conference on Sunday.
The SPLM/northern sector’s delegation to the negotiations with the Sudanese government in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa earlier demanded autonomous rule for the two areas.
Yassir Arman, head of the SPLM/northern sector delegation, was earlier reported to have told reporters in Addis Ababa that the demand for autonomous rule for the two areas came as a solution due to their privacy within the framework of the Sudanese multi-ethnic, democratic state.
He added that other regions such as eastern Sudan, Darfur and Gezira in central Sudan should also be given autonomous rule.
The African Union has been patronizing the negotiations between the Sudanese government and the SPLM/northern sector in the Ethiopian capital to reach a settlement for the conflict in Blue Nile and South Kordofan areas, but the two sides failed to achieve any progress in the last round of talks.
The South Kordofan and Blue Nile states have been witnessing armed clashes between the Sudanese army and the SPLM/northern sector since 2011, after South Sudan’s independence.
Sudanese President al-Bashir vowed earlier to end the rebellion in various areas of the country by 2014.