National Congress Party (NCP) leader and presidential candidate Omer Hassan al-Bashir holds a Sudanese flag during a campaign rally in Omdurman on 9 April 2015 (Photo: Reuters)

Bashir, who was addressing a graduation ceremony at the military academy on Tuesday, said we declared a cessation of hostilities and offered the rebel leaders the necessary guarantees to join the dialogue conference, stressing “we would continue to urge them to respond to the voice of reason and peace appeal”.

But he added that negotiations and dialogue arrangements would neither prevent the armed forces from executing its training programs and strategic plans nor taking the precautionary measures to get ready to carry out its duties.

He pointed that the armed forces has met its national duties and continued to take into account the conventions and covenants made by the government for the various parties to the conflict, stressing it has never initiated hostility against any party.

Last month Bashir declared a two-month cessation of hostilities in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur. Later he expressed readiness to declare a permanent ceasefire given that rebels show desire for achieving peace.

Also, the Sudanese president granted general amnesty for the leaders and members of the armed movements taking part in the national dialogue conference.

The government-led national dialogue conference was inaugurated in Khartoum on October 10th amid large boycott from the major political and armed opposition.

ARAB AND ISLAMIC ISSUES

Meanwhile, Bashir said that Sudan has never taken a passive stance on Arabic and Islamic issues, describing its participation in those issues as “strong and courageous”.

He pointed that Sudan joined the Saudi-led “Operation Decisive Storm” in order to restore security and stability in Yemen, saying his country has exerted efforts and provided money and ideas to achieve that end.

Sudan made the largely symbolic move last March of joining the Saudi-led military coalition against Houthi rebels who are accused by Riyadh of being a proxy to Iran in the region.

Since mid-October, around 850 Sudanese soldiers had arrived in the coastal city of Aden to join the coalition. Also, Sudanese officials including Bashir and the defence minister Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Ouf have expressed readiness to send 6,000 troops to Yemen.

Bashir further praised the services being provided by the military academy to the army and police officers and civil services leaders besides officers from the brotherly and friendly countries in the various fields of science, knowledge, military science, and strategic planning.