Sudan’s ruling party denies wiretapping senior SPLM officials
December 27, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese National Congress Party (NCP) denied a newspaper report that it has ordered telecom companies to wiretap the phones of senior Government of South Sudan (GoSS) officials.
The pro-SPLM Ajras Al-Hurriya quoted “informed sources” at the NCP who said that the ruling party put in place a plan to wiretap phones of opposition figures and GoSS leadership including First Vice President Salva Kiir.
This would be done through establishing separate channels to track phone calls through satellite and Thuraya phones.
Ajras Al-Hurriya further said that it obtained documents from NCP and some security agencies directing its members to collect phone numbers of SPLM leaderships such as GoSS VP Riek Machar, James Speaker of the South Sudan Legislative Assembly James Wani, SPLM’s Vice president Malik Agar, Deputy SPLM Secretary General Yasir Arman and many others.
The newspaper report claimed that the NCP asked MNT, Sudani, Zain, Sudatel and Kanar to wiretap these figures on the grounds that there are calls made that endanger national security.
The information secretary general at the NCP Fathi Sheila challenged the newspaper to publish the confidential documents in its possession saying that it is not a function of the party to address telecom companies.
Sheila accused the pro-SPLM newspaper of fabricating the documents saying that the NCP does not have time to waste on these issues accusing it of seeking to sabotage relations with the ex-Southern rebel groups.
(ST)