*Arman Call for a Widespread Campaign Demanding the Extension of Sanctions Against the Sudanese Regime*

In a statement to Hurriyat electronic newspaper, he said:’ I draw the attention of the civil society and political forces in Sudan that the lifting of US sanction is conditional upon improvement in the regime conduct in five areas, starting with harbouring terroism, ending the war and respect of  human rights. The suspension period ends in the coming July, when the US adminstration would review the regime conduct. Currently, there is a fierce battle regarding the necessity of extending the period for another six month. I call upon civil society and politcal  forces to organise to bring their voices to the notice of the American Congress where both Republican and Democratic voices are raised to object to the lifting of snctions.  The Sudanese community in the U.S. in particular have within its power to play a decisive role in this battle. Not to forget that the regime has wrapped around its neck the accusation of using chemical weapons against civilians in Darfur and the Nube Mountains and its president is a fugitive from international justice. At the same time it persists in extensive human rights violations, prominent among these are the systematic attacks on Christians, their churches, detention of their priests, and the folgging of women and the repression against human rights defenders.  The American administration has failed to secure the release of Dr. Muddawi Ibrahim. Not even the fact of his participation in the ‘National Dialogue’ seemed to mitigate against his arrest and prolonged detention. Lately, these assualts on civil and human rights are compounded by repressive measures embodied in the new constituational  amendments despite opposition by Popular Congress Party and other key ‘National Dialogue’ partners. The regime continued harbouring of Islamist terrorist groups  couldn’t be more evident than after the accidental explosion of a terror bomb-making lab in a flat in the Arkweit district of Khartoum, coupled with its material support of islamist terror groups that are party in the civil war there.’

Arman added: ‘ under current circumstances, the Sudanese people will not benefit from the lifting of sanctions. That would only benefit the fat cats who lead the regime and would help underwrite the war machine and bolster the continuation of human rights violations. The Sudanese people did not benefit from oil or gold revenues in the past. Consequently, the sanctions issue must not be infused with patriotic sentiments, when dealing with a regime that is breft of such noble agenda. We are urging the U.S. administration to extend the sanctions review period by another six months.’