Youths in Sudan’s largest opposition party planning anti-government protests

June 19, 2013, (KHARTOUM) – The Youth section of the National Umma Party (NUP) issued a statement today announcing that protests are planned for June 29 in al-Khalifa square in Sudan’s twin capital of Omdurman.

According to the statement, the “soft attitudes” toward the government “are no longer viable in the face of the system that became addicted to walking on the risks and crises”.

“There is no choice but confrontation whatever the price is…. there is no higher cost than the cost of the regime continuing [in power]” the press release read in part.

It vowed that the protestors will not return home that day until the regime has fallen.

The language of the statement however, indicates that the demonstrations planned does not have the backing of the NUP leadership and in particular the party’s chief al-Sadiq al-Mahdi.

Al-Mahdi has expressed lack of interest in schemes aimed at ousting the government led by the National Congress Party (NCP) saying rather that he wants to reform it to prevent a state breakdown.

The former Prime Minister also publicly distanced himself at a press conference last week from the National Consensus Forces (NCF) recent announcement of a 100-day plan to bring down the regime.

At the said press conference NUP’s representative at the NCF, Abdel-Galil Al-Basha passed a note to Al-Mahdi, saying that he had participated in all stages of preparation for the 100-day plan.

However, al-Mahdi ignored the note, saying instead that the initiative was aimed at mobilizing, not overthrowing the regime.

His position angered his peers at the NCF who have long grown suspicious of the al-Mahdi’s stances regarding the government.

Al-Mahdi also announced a new “Charter for Change” that NUP would seek to implement as soon as possible. It is comprised of collecting a million signatures that would later develop into mass sit-ins and protests.

An official in the NUP politburo who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the demonstrations would take place 3 weeks after al-Mahdi’s announcement.

Critics assert that al-Mahdi has no intention or interest in seeing the NCP regime go particularly as his son is currently an assistant to president Omer Hassan al-Bashir.

Some within the NUP politburo privately say that they believe al-Mahdi has forged a secret deal with the NCP in which he agreed to block any efforts in the direction of regime change.

Last week Sudan’s presidential assistant and NCP vice chairman Nafie Ali Nafie praised the NUP and al-Mahdi for “washing his hands” from the opposition and the armed rebel groups.

(ST)