Sudan arrests opposition figures over accusation of planning sabotage
July 14, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese security services on Saturday arrested the leaders of the Umma Reform and Renewal opposition party over allegations of planning sabotage actions in the country.
The former presidential assistant was arrested along with a number of retired army generals, including retired general Mohamed Ali Hamid, who worked as deputy director of security in the late eighties, as well as former minister of tourism, Abdeljalil al-Basha,.
Sudan Tribune has also learnt that Mahmoud Hassanein, prominent opposition leader from the Unionist Democratic Party of Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani was arrested Saturday in Khartoum. Hassanein is known for his sharp criticism to the National Congress Party.
It was not clear if Hassanein’s arrest was related to the alleged sabotage attempt.
Al-Fadil, the chairman of the Umma Reform and Renewal party defected from the popular Umma Party led by former prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi to form his own party and at one point was the presidential adviser in 2004. In recent years, however, he has distanced himself from the regime.
Sudanese authorities said the plotters had secured the assistance of retired officers in the army, especially those from the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains areas.
“Fourteen of them (retired officers) were arrested and are now being interrogated by the concerned security authorities,” pro-government Sudanese Media Center (SMC) quoted a security source as saying.
The Umma Reform and Renewal party condemned the arrest of Al-Fadil and al-Basha describing it as “unconstitutional”.
The security services had known of a plot since April and decided to act on Saturday “to preserve national security, SUNA said.
They have been monitoring a series of meetings, recruitment operations for some retired military men, operations for transporting various weapons and hiding them in Khartoum and working out plans to create great chaos in the capital during which effective subversive acts are to be carried out and targeting of strategic institutions along with directing a call to what is called international community for immediate intervention, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement issued Saturday night adding that the 14 had been in contact with foreign countries. It did not elaborate.
Sudan Tribune has learned that the security services alleged that Al-Fadil sought financial support from Libya. The latter notified Khartoum of the contacts they had with al-Fadil. They also allege that Al-Fadil received blessings from the United States to carry out the operation but did not elaborate.
The wife of Al-Fadil, Sumaya Idris, speaking to Sudan Tribune by phone denied the accusations and said that her husband “is a democratic person and always worked in that direction”.
Asked as to why the Sudanese government is targeting her husband she said that “they are under pressure and they are wary of Umma party reunification going underway”.
Analysts speaking to Sudan Tribune say that Al-Fadil’s contacts with the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) embarrassed the ruling National Congress Party and the decided to take this measure to block any rapprochement with the Umma party in the context of the forthcoming elections.
Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir had warned last week that they monitor hostile developments adding that “no one can change the regime but through general elections.”
The Umma party is considered the country’s largest opposition party and is headed by al-Fadil’s cousin, Sadiq al-Mahdi, who served as Sudan’s only democratically elected prime minister from 1986-89 before being overthrown in a coup by al-Bashir.
(ST)