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Sudan Tribune

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North Sudan: DUP threatens to join regime-change seekers

April 3, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in north Sudan has shifted its tone towards the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and threatened to seek regime change should the latter rejects a draft constitution the DUP intends to put forward in their next round of talks.

DUP leading member Ali al-Said (Al-Haqiqah newspaper website)
DUP leading member Ali al-Said (Al-Haqiqah newspaper website)
Political tension has risen in north Sudan following the secession of the oil-producing south Sudan in a referendum in January and the worsening economic conditions that ensued.

The wave of revolts currently convulsing the Middle East has also stoked discontent and doubled pressure on the NCP, which is attempting to create rifts within the coalition of mainstream opposition parties by holding bilateral dialogue with the DUP and the National Umma Party (NUP) led by former prime minister Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi.

Under the leadership of Mohamed Osman Al-Mirghani, the DUP has been facing speculations that the party is likely to agree on a power-sharing deal with the NCP.

But Ali Ahmad Al-Said, a senior member of the DUP, on Sunday strongly denied that his party was engaged in power-sharing talks with the NCP.

“Any talk on participation is not an option for us,” Al-Said asserted, adding that his party’s dialogue with the NCP was confined to discussing “a new constitution.”

According to Al-said, the draft constitution that his party intends to put forward would contain demands for conducting early elections and placing a two-year limit on presidential and parliamentary terms.

Should the NCP rejects the draft constitution, Ali Al-Said warned, his party would join those calling for a regime change.

“We are moving in [two] specific pathways: one is negotiations and the other is regime change” the DUP’s leading member said, indicating that some of the party’s top leadership “totally rejects dialogue with the NCP and supports the regime-change option.”

“If the NCP rejects the constitution, we would give preference to the choice of regime change” Al-Said said. “It will either be democracy or confrontation,” he added.

Ali Al-Said went on to criticize the NCP, saying that its mentality does not comprehend the importance of dialogue and that some of its members deal with it as “a mean to buy more time.”

The DUP threat follows another threat issued on Friday by the NUP leader Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi who warned the NCP against facing a popular uprising if it does not conclude talks with his party within a week.

Meanwhile, the NCP’s political secretary Ibrahim Gandur said that change in Sudan is conditional upon consensus among political parties.

Gandur further called on political forces to agree with the government’s programs and the established cornerstones of religion and patriotism.

(ST)

3 Comments

  • Liberator
    Liberator

    North Sudan: DUP threatens to join regime-change seekers
    Dear readers:

    It looks as if there will be swifts regimes change in both the North and South, sooner than expected! we could even see that change taking place sooner with the former than the latter.

    Reply
  • Deng E. Manyuon
    Deng E. Manyuon

    North Sudan: DUP threatens to join regime-change seekers
    DUP negotiating in its on way with regime……Umma Party negotiating its on way with regime. Unless all opposition parties work together, there is a slim chance of regime change.
    The DUP leaders should have a frame-work with other political parties in the North in order to table their proposed draft constitution with them instead. After that, they can have a common ground and one voice to face the regime.

    Deng

    Reply
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