Sudan says it found fresh evidence linking Turabi’s party to Darfur rebels

January 17, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese authorities claimed today that it has unearthed new evidence that confirms the ties between the Popular Congress Party (PCP) headed by Hassan Al-Turabi and the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

Al-Turabi was taken by Sudanese security from his residence in the early morning hours of Tuesday along with a number of senior officials in his party, according to a press statement by the PCP.

Security forces blocked Turabi’s road and five police cars full of heavily armed forces escorted him away as his watching family cried “God is Greatest”, two witnesses told Reuters.

The statement signed by the assistant Secretary General Ali Al-Haj, who lives in exile in Germany, said that among those detained were the PCP deputy political secretary general Al-Amin Abdel-Razik, Turabi executive secretary Tag Al-Deen Bannaga, Ashraf Bushra working in Turabi’s office, Ashraf Hassan who is secretary for the PCP deputy political secretary general and Osman Abdullah described as a businessman.

The PCP slammed the arrest saying that the government aims at terrorizing any opposition.

“The arrest of Sheikh al-Turabi who will turn 79 next February is a demonstration of misery, moral and political weakness of the authorities which did not consider the fate of its brother in tyranny who was forced through the wrath of his people to wander on his face begging for shelter,” said the statement in reference to the popular uprising in Tunisia last week that led to ouster of president Zain Al-Abdeen Bin Ali.

On Monday, Al-Turabi gave an interview to Agence France Presse (AFP) and warned that street protests similar to the ones that occurred in Tunisia could happen in Sudan if president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir failed to share power.

Northern opposition parties have stepped up their rhetoric against the government saying that it needs to dissolve itself and call for new elections following the near certain secession of the South following the conclusion of the referendum on Sunday.

Some have speculated that Turabi’s arrest was linked to the statements he made suggesting that he will work to remove the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

But the Sudanese Media Center (SMC) website, which is closely linked to the country’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), said that senior officials captured from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in West Darfur last week admitted that they have links and are receiving support from Turabi’s party to carry out military campaigns in the restive region.

Quoting a senior security source, the website said that confessions of JEM captives and documents confirm the role of the PCP in directing and financing the rebel group’s activities through direct supervision of their military operations in Darfur.

But JEM spokesperson Ahmed Hussein described the allegations as “ridiculous”.

“They just want to divert attention from their growing domestic problems and their withdrawal from the peace talks in Doha” Hussein told Sudan Tribune.

“They keep making the same claims over and over again about our links with PCP but they end up producing no evidence. This is just another fabrication by Sudanese security,” he added.

Islamist leader Turabi has been in and out of jail since his split from Bashir’s ruling party in 1999. In 2009 he was jailed for calling on Bashir to surrender himself to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Khartoum has consistently accused JEM of being the military wing of the PCP but never pressed any formal charges against the party figures.

(ST)