Sudan’s opposition PCP says regime downfall ‘imminent’
June 3, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) has expressed optimism on the imminent demise of the Sudanese regime to bring what it says was two decades of turbulence, corruption and civil wars to an end.
Omer said that popularity of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has dropped significantly and claimed that its recent political rallies saw a low turnout due to growing poverty.
The opposition official disclosed that efforts are underway to mobilize grassroots to set the stage for an uprising noting that street protests are the only way to stop the war and bring about change.
“We will move on with our plans to topple the regime and will not care about some opposition parties that are calling for calming the situation”, Omer said without naming those parties he was referring to.
He went on to say that Khartoum is trying to prolong the life of the regime by attempting to forge a compromise with the opposition forces on its own terms but Omer stressed the government’s lack of seriousness towards conducting a true and genuine dialogue.
Omer emphasized that the NCP has no option but to accept a transitional government and announced that opposition has prepared for the subsequent phase by producing two documents including the democratic alternative and the interim constitution.
The PCP political secretary also spoke of continuing political contact with the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) and underscored that PCP won’t condemn SRF’s recent attack on Um Rawaba and Abu-Kershola unless it verifies claims that SRF has committed atrocities.
In wake of the SRF attack on Um Rawaba and Abu-Kershola, the PCP refused to condemn the SRF and instead held the government ultimately responsible for the events that transpired.
However last month, the PCP’s deputy secretary general, Ibrahim Al-Sanoosi, stated that his party does not accept the recurrence of similar attacks in the future.
In another context, Omer predicted that additional government officials will be charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC) saying that absence of deterring laws allows intervention by the ICC to prosecute those who say “sweep and wipe”.
He was referring to the governor of South Kordofan state, Ahmed Haroun, who was charged in 2007 by the Hague-based court in connection with war crimes allegedly committed in Sudan’s western region of Darfur.
Last year Haroun was caught in tape that was aired by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV showing him instructing troops in South Kordofan not take any prisoners in the course of their fighting with rebels.
His remarks drew criticism by the UN and the European Union.
Omer also criticized Sudan’s ministry of justice, saying that it fell short of fulfilling its duties in a proper fashion.
The PCP official drew attention to what he described as the phenomenon of the businesswomen who became active in trade between Sudan, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom and said that their fortunes have grown remarkably, accusing a wife of a government official of buying a farm at 3 million pounds SDG ( $500.000) in Khartoum.
(ST)