Freed opposition leader hits out at Sudanese regime

KHARTOUM, July 3 (AFP) — Freed Sudanese opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi on Sunday launched a withering attack on the government, as he promised to continue cooperation with southern SPLM former rebels.

Turabi, a former mentor turned rival to President Omar al-Beshir who was released from jail last week, urged the creation of a new government to “abolish the laws which obstruct political parties… and prevent the Sudanese from taking part in any political dynamic.”

“The political situation is bleak,” he told reporters, adding that the temporary constitution due to come into force on July 9 was “worse than the current constitution”.

The temporary constitution, drawn up after the North-South peace deal that ended 21 years of deadly fighting in Africa’s largest country, ushers the country into a six year period of interim rule.

But Turabi, who leads the Islamist opposition Popular Congress (PC), said that he would be continuing cooperation with the SPLM after its peace deal with the government, even though the PC would be remaining firmly in opposition.

“We are still committed to our agreements with the SPLM and we would work to develop our bilateral relations so as to boost peace and to establish and strengthen freedoms and democracy, with a view to reaching voluntary unity, God willing,” he said.

Turabi was freed from jail Thursday, 15 months after his arrest over an alleged coup plot. An Islamist ideologue with influence beyond Sudan’s borders, Turabi rallied behind Beshir in 1989 but was removed from key posts after losing a power struggle with the president in 1999.

Turabi called for “a consensus on the minimum that we need to protect the unity of our homeland.”

He said this was why his party “is willing to forget past grievances and grudges despite the bitter tests we have been subjected to and despite the sorrow we feel for missing our Islamic project that we wanted to be based on piety.”