Opposition Umma party rejects Sudan interim govt- BBC

LONDON, June 1, 2005 (Sudan Tribune) — The chief of the opposition Umma party intends to boycott the interim government, which is due to be installed in July as part of the peace agreement signed last January between the Sudanese government and the former rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.

Umma party leader Sadiq al-Mahdi told the BBC that the government would be made up of two groups which were not democratically elected.

In January, the Islamic government and southern rebels agreed to end 21 years of war and set up a joint government.

Al-Mahdi was deposed as Sudan’s leader in a coup by current President Omar al-Bashir, in 1989.

The Umma party is also boycotting the committee drawing up an interim constitution.

In April, Umma said it had been banned from political activity after Mr al-Mahdi said he backed sending those accused of war crimes in the Darfur region to the International Criminal Court.