Opposition leader Al-Turabi accuses government of “tyranny”, “corruption”

By Sudanese opposition Democratic Unionist Party web site

KHARTOUM, Nov. 28, 2003 — The [opposition] PNC [Popular National Congress], led by Dr Hasan al-Turabi, has warned the authorities against either dissolving or banning the PNC and arresting its leader again.

The party launched a fierce attack on its previous allies and accused them of oppression, tyranny and corruption, ruling out any rapprochement with them.

During a speech at his birth place in Wadi al-Turabi (80 km northeast of Khartoum), the Islamist leader said he was neither afraid of being arrested, nor would he divert from his principles and mission. He strongly accused his [former] scholars who were now in the government and said he disagreed with them over the principles of freedom and commitment to pacts and treaties.

He said: “There is an abyss between me and you and we shall not re-unite unless you commit yourself to these principles”.

Al-Turabi added that his [former] followers had become infatuated by power and money, and were traitors to themselves and the nation.

He added: “The salvation [revolution] has sunk into a sea. It was rescued and now it will sink again into another sea.”

He added that a government official had told him that 80 per cent of government officials were with him in their hearts and “with the government in their pockets…”

BBC Monitoring Middle East