Parliament renews state of emergency in Sudan

KHARTOUM, Dec 29 (AFP) — The Sudanese parliament has renewed the state of emergency in effect in the country since 1999, in line with a request from President Omar al-Beshir, state television announced.

The state of emergency will be renewed from January 1 for a period of one year, it said, adding that 213 members of the 336-seat National Assembly voted in favour, two against and four abstained.

It said the decision was based on a report from the house’s legislative and security commissions that the reasons for the measures “still exist, especially the armed conflict in western Sudan”, in reference to the Darfur revolt.

“The state of emergency will be lifted when the reasons for which it was imposed no longer exist,” said the report.

Beshir asked parliament to extend the state of emergency for another year despite growing expectations of an imminent peace deal ending civil war in southern Sudan.

The president declared the state of emergency in December 1999 after dissolving the National Assembly in a move to oust Islamist Hassan al-Turabi, a former ally turned political rival.

Opposition groups have long called for an end to the measure.