Sudan Vision Daily News Paper Official Website - Umma-JEM Controversial Deal Triggers Wide National Anger, Viewed As Provocative

Prelude:-

Sealing of an accord between Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Umma National Party under the chairmanship of Al-Saddig Al-Mahdi alludes to the Sudanese political powers approach which says the enemy of my adversary is my ally.

Assuming that the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Umma parties, which have signed together the National Agreement Deal, are adversaries.

The Umma Party deal with JEM remains controversial as it was concluded at a time the Sudan Government has been persuading JEM to join Darfur peace process and stop devastation of Darfur people who are overwhelmingly Umma Party loyalists.

The question that poses itself is why has the Umma Party struck the deal with a rebel movement that does not believe in democratic dialogue- the core of the Umma political philosophy?

Does Umma believe that its alliance with JEM will facilitate power take- over not through the gun barrel?. So many questions remain pending answers that may or may not be received in the foreseeable future.

Umma -JEM Accord and Strategies Modification:

When JEM assaulted Omdurman in May, 2008, Al-Mahdi was inking the National Reconciliation Agreement with the NCP, the deal described by Al-Mahdi as the boat of Noah. Meanwhile, he condemned the Movement's aggression on the City which claimed many lives of civilians. He said, "JEM should admit that its attack was a mistake that aggravates the Darfur cause and allows foreign intervention." He added, "We have to persuade them to join the national agenda. In case they have been persistent on resorting to power, all the national powers should assume a position against the Movement."

Some view that the dynamic excess of Sadiq Al-Mahdi is behind the large number of agreements and smart and non-smart partnerships with the political forces to the level that no Party could challenge Umma party in this respect. Others affirm that no one could estimate the real numbers of the agreements and alliances made by this old party.
Some observers say that, the glut of agreements made by Umma party only proves the party's lack of patience towards his allies and vice versa.
Political forces views about the agreement:

The agreement between Umma and JEM was a very big shock for some political parties like SPLM which announced that it has not yet issued its position on the agreement.
Atem Garang, the deputy speaker of the national assembly and the leader in the SPLM said that "the agreement is a political and ideological surprise for us" due to the divergence of Islam concept between the two sides, since Umma party is adopting the "Sufic Islam" approach while JEM is adopting political Islam.
On his part, NCP information secretary, Dr. Kamal Obaid affirmed that any political force that deals with the armed movements will put itself in a position of political accountability before the Sudanese citizens. He didn't rule out that such agreement might undermine "the national reconciliation agreement" between NCP and Umma party adding that decision in this regard would be taken in a joint meeting between NCP and Umma party. He revealed that the agreement between Umma and JEM contradicts the commitments of any political party towards the constitution since signing an agreement with an armed movement that rejects a cease-fire is only a matter of casting doubt on the legitimacy of the political establishment. He pointed out that it's very difficult to accept such an agreement adding that such agreement will not affect only the national reconciliation agreement but all the issues relating to sustainability of political stability and the establishment of the political life based on law and he described the agreement as failure to Umma party and success to JEM.
On his part, the deputy general secretary of Umma Party, Dr. Abdurrahman Alghali defended the agreement saying that it's not contradicting "the national reconciliation agreement" pointing out that the items of the two agreements do not contain anything which opposes the positions of Umma party.
The communist party said that the agreement doesn't carry any new thing and it's similar to side agreements and the only thing that disturbs NCP is the rapprochement between Umma party and JEM.
The columnist in Al-Ray Ala'am Arabic daily, Rashid Abdulrahim, says that neither Sudan nor the NCP are going to lose by such an agreement . The loser will be the Umma party which is at crossroads for long.

Rashid added that the Umma party failure to honor agreements could be attributed to the fact that the party used to engage itself arbitrarily in agreements.

In his article in Alwatan Arabic Daily, Writer Saif Addeen Al-Bashir wrote: the Umma party itself had condemned Koka Dam meeting when Al-Mahdi was the then Prime Minister and his cousin, Mubarak Alfadil, his Minister of Interior. Al-Mahdi had said, "The Party principally condemns the meeting as some parties conduct negotiations with rebels fighting the established government."

Al-Bashir wrote , "Ironically, it is the very Umma party that has recently sealed a so-called political agreement with JEM/Khalil Ibrahim- a faction now fighting the established government."

He further took the Sudanese political parties pragmatic approach responsible for the adamancy of Darfur movements on distancing themselves from negotiation tables, adding, "That has by definition prolonged Darfur stalemate."

Al-Bashir ascribed conclusion of such a deal to organizational disorder and splintering that has recently characterized the Umma party, besides Al-Mahdi's fear that, its rival - the Popular Congress Party (PCP) - will benefit from its link with JEM. As such, the writer reads Umm-JEM deal as part of the rivalry between the Umma and PCP parties in respect of JEM.

He believes that the outcome of Washington meeting of CPA Supporters has extinguished the Umma hope that the meeting will break US-NCP relationship.

Al-Bashir called for constitutional, legal and moral incrimination of the Umma Party accord with JEM.

Peace or War Deal?

Some observers view the deal as not targeting peace and might involve the Umm in a joint military move against Khartoum.
Others suggest that the party should have contributed to the on going dialogue between JEM and Khartoum, instead of opting for pulling down the ruling regime.

Commenting on the event, Umma Party Deputy Chairman, Lt. Gen., Fadlallah Burma Nasir reported that their agreement with JEM focuses peace rather than war.

Political analyst, Abdallah Adam Khatir, ruled out the war focus, thinking that the deal is a tool for pressuring the government into effecting democratic transformational beneficial to the two signatories of the deal.

Denial:

Cairo, the deal venue, denied connection with the accord, arguing that the agreement was concluded between Sudanese parties without any Egyptian involvement whatsoever.