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world news Diasabra 5 september 2020

Sudanese government, key rebel group to restart peace talks

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan's eas it controls if its demands
transitional government and are not met. Just days ago, al-
a powerful rebel group that Hilu accused the transitional
controls large swaths of the government of adopting the
country's restive south said "evasive" tactics of al-Bashir's
Friday they have agreed to administration throughout
resume peace talks, a devel- tortuous peace negotiations
opment that boosts hopes of that have dragged on for
ending the country's decades- nearly a year.
long civil wars. To lay the groundwork for
The commitment comes days a future deal, al-Hilu and
after the government reached Hamdok agreed in principle
a deal with other rebel groups on a range of political issues
to quell conflicts stemming that have frustrated efforts to
from the rule of ousted auto- reach a deal in the past.
crat Omar al-Bashir. Sudan's constitution "should
The Sudan Liberation Move- be based on the principle of
ment-North, led by Abdel- separation of religion and
Aziz al-Hilu, and Sudanese state," the statement said, ac-
Prime Minister Abdalla knowledging a long-held de-
Hamdok signed a joint letter mand of the ardently secular-
of intention late on Thurs- ist SLPM-North. The sides
day in the Ethiopian capital also agreed to let the rebel
of Addis Abada, stressing the group retain its weapons until
"necessity" of finding "a com- In this Oct. 14, 2019 file photo, provided by the official SUNA news agency, Gen. Abdel-Fattah they ink an accord calling for
prehensive and just political Burhan, center right, head of Sudan's sovereign council, is greeted by South Sudan's President new security arrangements.
solution" to the conflicts. It Salva Kiir, center left, as Sudan's new transitional government kicks off peace talks aimed at end- Al-Hilu's movement controls
did not specify when the talks large chunks of territory in
would restart. ing the country's yearslong civil wars, in Juba, South Sudan. the war-scarred Blue Nile
Negotiating an end to the re- Associated Press and South Kordofan prov-
bellions in Sudan's far-flung North, also known as SLPM- in South Sudan between the ric said. inces, home to a significant
provinces has been a crucial North, is Sudan's single larg- government and a rebel al- The U.N. chief urged an- Christian minority that long
goal for the transitional gov- est rebel group. It engaged liance known as the Sudan other rebel group, the Sudan complained of discrimina-
ernment, which took power in previous rounds of peace Revolutionary Front, dim- Liberation Movement-Abdul tion under al-Bashir.
after the military overthrew talks but remained skeptical ming prospects for meaning- Wahid Al-Nur, "to join the During al-Bashir's 30 years
al-Bashir in April last year, of the country's ruling Sov- ful change on the ground. peace process so that a com- in power, the Khartoum gov-
following months of pro- ereign Council, comprised U.N. Secretary-General An- prehensive solution can be ernment extended Islamic
democracy protests. Cash- of both civilian leaders and tonio Guterres welcomed found" and reiterated his rule in Sudan and fanned
strapped authorities are keen military generals, including Thursday's signing, calling commitment to support all tensions between the Muslim
to slash military spending, some from al-Bashir's tenure. the agreement "a positive efforts to achieve sustainable majority north and mainly
which takes up 80% of the Along with another ma- step," especially in light of peace in Sudan, Dujarric said. Christian and animist south,
national budget. jor rebel group, the faction the initialing of a peace agree- The SLPM-North has also precipitating brutal wars and
Al-Hilu's faction of the Su- skipped the signing of the ment earlier this week, U.N. threatened to call for self- ultimately, the secession of
dan Liberation Movement- agreement earlier this week spokesman Stephane Dujar- determination in the vast ar- South Sudan in 2011.q

Dutch appeals court convicts Wilders of insulting Moroccans

By MIKE CORDER reer has been based largely on on the night of Dutch mu-
Associated Press his strident anti-Islam rheto- nicipal elections in 2014 at
THE HAGUE, Nether- ric, was convicted in Decem- a meeting in a Hague cafe.
lands (AP) — A Dutch ap- ber 2016 of insulting and in- In what appeals judges said
peals court upheld Friday citing discrimination against was a carefully prepared ex-
the conviction of anti-Islam Moroccans in 2014. change, Wilders asked sup-
lawmaker Geert Wilders for He was not given a punish- porters whether they wanted
insulting Moroccans in com- ment. more or fewer Moroccans
ments he made at an elec- Speaking to reporters outside in the Netherlands. That
tion night gathering in 2014. court, Wilders slammed the sparked a chant of “Fewer!
However, the court over- case as a “political trial” and Fewer! Fewer!” — to which
turned Wilders’ conviction said the court “has dumped he replied, “we’ll take care of
for inciting discrimination. freedom of speech in the gar- it.”
The appeals court did not bage. The ruling Friday comes
punish Wilders for his con- Not only for me, but for ev- some six months before na-
viction on the charge of in- erybody.” tional parliamentary elections
sulting a group, which he can The Party for Freedom leader in the Netherlands.
appeal to the Dutch Supreme has always insisted he is in- According to a poll of polls,
Court. nocent and branded his pros- Wilders’ party is the largest
The comments for which ecution a politically-motivat- opposition party.
Wilders was convicted “can ed attempt to muzzle him Explaining why Wilders was
contribute to polarization and an attack on the freedom not given a punishment Fri-
within Dutch society, while of speech. day, Reinking said noted that
in our democratic, pluralis- The appeals court rejected Wilders has lived for years
tic society respect for others, his claims of political inter- under tight security due to In this Nov. 23, 2016 file photo, populist anti-Islam lawmaker
especially minority groups, ference in the case and said threats. Geert Wilders prepares to address judges at the high-security
is of great importance,” said that free speech also has lim- “The accused has already for court near Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, during his hate-
Presiding Judge Jan Maarten its. years paid a high price for ex- speech trial that pits freedom of expression against the Nether-
Reinking. Friday’s conviction was based pressing his opinion,” Reink- lands' anti-discrimination laws.
Wilders, whose political ca- on comments Wilders made ing said.q Associated Press