Nafie says Sudan protesters seeking to “eradicate” Islamic laws

July 2, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Presidential Assistant Nafie Ali Nafie has accused anti-regime protesters of seeking to “eradicate” Islamic Shariah laws in order to make way for a secular state in the country.

The Sudanese government led by the National Congress Party (NCP) has been trying to contain a growing protest movement which erupted on 16 June after the authorities moved to implement a set of austerity measures including cuts in fuel subsidies as part of what officials say are efforts to make up for a budget deficit of 2.4 billion US dollars, created as a result of losing 75 percent of the country’s oil production due to South Sudan secession.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in the capital Khartoum and other regional towns burning tires, blocking roads and calling for the downfall of the regime while police and security forces used teargas, rubber bullets and batons to break up what they described as “small groups of rioters.”

Nafie said while addressing a gathering of Sufi leaders in Khartoum on Monday that the true goal of anti-government activists is to “eradicate” Shariah law.

According to Nafie, who also serves as NCP’s vice-chairman, the current situation is essentially “a struggle between the camp of Shariah and the camp of secularism.” He stressed that the government will never abandon Shariah no matter the challenges.

Nafie also reiterated claims that some Zionist groups in the United States are coordinating with neighboring South Sudan and the rebel groups Khartoum accuses of aiding to exploit the current unrest over the economy to create instability in the country.

The hard-line NCP official went on to say that “those seeking to mobilize the streets in the name of marginalization or economic hardships are deluded.”

Nafie said that the reason why traditional opposition parties failed to throw their weight behind the protests is because of their disagreements over the issue of Shariah.

The mainstream opposition coalition National Consensus Forces (NCF) failed last week to reach an agreement on how to administer the country after the fall of the NCP due to disagreements between its main factions including the National Umma Party (NUP) of former Prime Minister Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi and the Popular Congress Party (PCP) led by the veteran Islamist Hassan Al-Turabi.

Al-Mahdi said this week that his party would throw its weight behind the protests if an agreement on “a democratic alternative” to the NCP is reached.

Sudan Tribune understands that NCF factions have finally agreed to sign a declaration of a transitional government to lead the country after the fall of the NCP. The signing ceremony is due to take place on Wednesday at the headquarters of the National Unionist Party.

In a related context, the secretary-general of the government-run Supreme Council of Decentralized Governance, Al-Amin Daffa Allah, on Monday accused unnamed forces of leading a global plot to divide Sudan under the pretexts of “marginalization”

He also toed the line of Nafie in accusing anti-government activists of being “secularists” who are trying to use Mosques as platforms for mobilizing the public, in reference to the fact that activists have been calling on people to protest following Friday prayers.

“The mosques will not be mobilized by secularists calling for licentiousness and obscenity” he said.

Activist groups leading mobilization efforts under the Sudan Revolts campaign say the protests are no longer against austerity measures but against the NCP which they accuse of a long list of failures including rampant corruption, overspending on security, misguided economic policies and warmongering.

NCP officials including President Omer Al-Bashir have been trying to downplay the protests and expressed confidence that their rule is under no threat of facing a revolution like the ones that toppled autocratic governments in the Arab World.

(ST)