Sudanese government warns opposition party to stop “sedition” in west
By MOHAMED OSMAN Associated Press Writer
KHARTOUM, Sudan, Nov 23, 2003 (AP) — The government has warned an opposition party to refrain from seditious activities in western Sudan if it wants to remain on the political scene.
Speaking to executive editors of local newspapers Saturday, first Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha accused the Popular Congress party of “sparing no efforts in fanning the fire of sedition” in Darfur, where an armed rebel group has been fighting government troops since May, leaving thousands dead and forcing tens of thousands to flee.
Taha said the party’s actions had negative effects on national security but he did not specify what the party was doing.
An official at the Popular Congress told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that some party members had gone to Darfur on their own, motivated by regional or tribal interests, not party politics. He also did not say how party members were involved in the ongoing violence.
Until last month, the Popular Congress had been banned for signing a memorandum in 2001 with the southern rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army that encouraged any resistance against the government.
The ban was lifted in October, and party leader Hassan Turabi was freed from almost two years of house arrest.
“The Popular Congress party has to reconsider its positions if it wants to preserve its status in the political arena,” Taha said. The full text of the meeting was published in al-Anba and Akhbar al-Youm dailies.
Taha said the government was tolerant of opposition views and opinions but would not allow activity that would harm the national interest.
He urged the party to supervise the activities of its members in Darfur “and their negative effects on the national security and the safety of the society.
Taha did not say what would be done to the party if the government thought it was continuing its activities.
Meanwhile, the state minister for humanitarian affairs told the government Sudan Media Center that at least 120 villages were recently burned in Darfur’s Zalingi area, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the Chad border. Mohamed Yusuf Abdallah said over 55,000 people were affected by the burnings.
The rebel Sudan Liberation Army is fighting for self-determination in the region. A cease-fire between the SLA and the government was extended for 30 days on Nov. 5.
U.N and U.S. officials estimate that at least 7,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands of others forced to flee their homes since fighting began in Darfur.