Sudan president meets with opposition leader over national reconciliation
By Wasil Ali
November 28, 2007 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir met yesterday with former prime minister and leader of the opposition Umma party Sadiq al-Mahdi to discuss national reconciliation.
Sudan’s news agency (SUNA) said that the meeting aimed at “reaching a common vision on national issues”.
The presidential assistant Nafi Ali Nafi was quoted as saying that the meeting as “positive and fruitful”. He added that both sides had similar views on many issues that were discussed and voiced optimism that next meeting will be successful.
Al-Mahdi, ousted as prime minister in a bloodless military coup in 1989 by President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, has been one of the most outspoken critics of the government.
One of Al-Mahdi’s close aides, speaking to Sudan Tribune by phone, downplayed the results of the meeting between the two sides.
The source who asked not be named said that Al-Mahdi met with the party leaders and told them the meeting was “part of a public relations campaign by the ruling National Congress Party”.
Al-Mahdi reiterated to Al-Bashir the need for a conference that incorporates all political powers in the country. According to the Umma party official, Al-Bashir expressed his agreement in principle with some conditions.
The former prime minister was accompanied in the meeting by the former Defense minister Major General Fadl-Allah Burma and the party’s secretary general Abdel-Nabi Ahmed.
Analysts speaking to Sudan Tribune from Khartoum suggested that the presence of Burma in the meeting has political significance in light of the political crisis between Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLM) and NCP.
Burma belongs to the Arab tribe of Messiriyah which has a strong presence in the oil region of Abyei. The Umma party enjoys substantial support among the Messiriyah tribe.*
On 11 October, the SPLM suspended its participation in the government of national unity to protest against the delay in the implementation of the 2005 peace deal
Last week Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir said that the NCP is committed to the Abyei Protocol only with the border of 1905. He further said the government is not concerned with Abyei Boundaries Commission (ABC) report and that the latter is of no value to them.
The Umma party has generally been supportive of Khartoum’s stance on Abyei and considers it to be part of the North. Some of the Messiriyah tribe leaders have threatened to take arms if forced to be part of the South.
The SPLM signed a peace deal in January 2005 with the government of the National Congress Party in January 2005 ending two decades of civil war in Southern Sudan. The peace deal made the SPLM, the ruling party in the south and the NCP the ruling party in the north.
In 2011, southerners will be asked to vote in a referendum on whether they want to be independent or remain part of Sudan.
(ST)
*December 02, 2007 19:10 – Corrrected background information on Fadl-Allah Burma. He is from Messiriyah tribe and not from Abyei).
YihHon Alewei
Sudan president meets with opposition leader over national reconciliation
Why bashir called for reconciliation now with ousted leader but not during his eighteen years of brutal and savage rule!
bashir and his team ran out of fresh ideas and want to forge reconciliation with ousted leader Sadiq-Madhi in order to win the up coming elections and the battle of Abyei!
bashir have been ruling the country for almost two decades now without invoving the opposition parties to participate in parliament.
The reconciliation according to my viewpoint is political stunt to “Nigerian grandson”.
I don’t think whether bashir will succeed in the proposal he had put forward with his team to convince Sadiq Madhi Umma Party to work with his party while he was ousted by coup by omar!
If Sadiq party is ask to participate in the parliament as oppostion than that will be ok but if they are ask to have a common goal to work together against South Sudan as mentioned in the article, it will be a stupid thing for Sadiq to accept such an agreement with his foe!
Messiriyah tribes have a choice! If they refuse to be in the South then they are free to move North and leave our land. We don’t have arabs called Majok, Deng, Nhial and so on!
It will be a shame for anyone to call himself arabs without judging themsleves! Our skin here is the judge! Believing in certain religion can’t change your originality! It is good always to know where you come from and where you are staying!
People like bashir assistant are people who always preach hatred in the country! nafi ali and his president will not win in Sudan if Sudanese people have learnt something from this “rogue regime”.
Is right for one party to rule the country for almost two decades without oppositions and elections! If Sudanese know something, it is now time for a change!
Giving bashir party another chance to rule the country if elections are held will be a disastrous for Sudanese people!
Without community, nothing to lead!