Sudan accuses Islamist leader of working with US, UK to oust Bashir
August 19, 2008 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese ruling party accused an Islamist opposition leader of collaborating with the US and UK to overthrow President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.
“Al-Turabi is directly or indirectly executing a US plan through the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)” the newspaper said.
Al-Turabi travelled to Geneva yesterday to take part in a forum at the Africa Center for Human Rights. A PCP official told the daily Al-Hayat newspaper said that the Islamist leader may also visit Germany.
Al-Mahboob Abd Al-Salam, a leading figure at the PCP, denied any “hidden agenda” behind Al-Turabi’s tour in Europe.
Al-Turabi, a former ally of President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, was the government’s ideological mastermind in the 1990s and the De-facto ruler.
However Al-Bashir and Al-Turabi split ranks in 1999 and the latter was jailed on accusations of conspiracy. He was released in October 2003.
The opposition leader was jailed again for more than a year in 2004 over accusations of connections with an alleged coup plot before being released in 2005.
Al-Rae’d newspaper alleged that Al-Turabi met in Uganda with the former US National Security adviser Robert McFarlane and another British figure described as an intelligence officer by the name of James Henry.
The NCP publication further said that Al-Turabi will continue these meetings in Europe “to coordinate support for Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM)’s chairman in the presidential elections”.
The SPLM announced last month that the SPLM chairman Salva Kiir would run for presidency in the upcoming 2009 elections.
Kiir candidacy comes amidst a row between Khartoum and the International Criminal Court (ICC) whose prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant for Al-Bashir.
The timing of the SPLM’s announcement appeared to have worried NCP officials who hinted that it was linked to Al-Bashir’s indictment.
“We cannot read the announcement by the SPLM to nominate Kiir for presidential elections separate from these developments [ICC indictment]” Sudan’s presidential adviser Ghazi Salah Al-Deen told the pro-government Al-Intibaha last week.
Many observers in Sudan have said that Khartoum believes that the ICC indictment is a bid to remove the NCP from power.
(ST)
Kiir
Sudan accuses Islamist leader of working with US, UK to oust Bashir
NCP PCP NIF are just one thing in game and exchanging accuston won’t make you any differnt from one to other. I belive people of Sudan in general and southernes in particular learn the hard way not to exccept any islamist to rules again while united it’s crystal clear Islamist won’t change a thing no mater who is in power their agenda is more sharia and lot of sharia don’t fit with this new generation even islamist young generation are not in line with their elders.
Thyinka
Sudan accuses Islamist leader of working with US, UK to oust Bashir
NCP is trying to explain their impending fall with wild conspiracy theories instead of accepting responsibility for the mess they have created and which they will pay for. You reap what you sow.