Sudan’s former southern rebels registered as a formal political party on Sunday ahead of the country’s first democratic election in more than 20 years, due in February next year.
The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) fought northern Sudan in a two-decade civil war. The 2005 peace deal that ended the war created a semi-autonomous government in the south, which the SPLM now runs.
The SPLM also joined the national government and its head, Salva Kiir, became first vice president. However it had never officially registered as a political party.
“We have registered in preparation for the election and we will lead the election in all of Sudan, the north and south,” said Yasir Arman, a senior SPLM official. “We will have candidates in all 25 states in addition to Abyei and we will be a main force in Sudan. We have wide support.”
The SPLM has already accused the north, dominated by Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s National Congress Party, of trying to block legislation on media, national security and other issues, all seen as prerequisites for a free and fair election and referendum.
Arman said the SPLM would focus on three main issues ahead of the vote — finding a just and inclusive solution to the Darfur conflict in the west, Sudan’s democratic transformation and a referendum on southern independence due in 2011.
Northern and southern armies have clashed on occasion since the 2005 peace deal, most recently last year in the oil town of Abyei.
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