Sudan’s Islamist coalition elects Karti as president
September 10, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – The Broad Islamic Current, a coalition of Sudanese Islamist groups, has elected Ali Karti as its president, the coalition said in a statement on Monday.
Karti, a former foreign minister and secretary-general of the influential Islamic Movement, accepted the position and pledged to implement an ambitious program, according to a statement from the coalition.
He has been out of the spotlight since the ouster of longtime President Omer al-Bashir in 2019 and was wanted by authorities during the transitional period. The coalition did not disclose how or where the election took place but confirmed it operates within Sudan.
The coalition’s spokesperson, Hassan Abdel Hamid, said their stance in the ongoing conflict is to support the army against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accusing the RSF of attempting to “swallow the Sudanese state.”
He continued, “We oppose external interventions and reject the proposals of the Coordination of Democratic Civilian Forces ‘Tagadum.”
According to a press statement issued by the Current yesterday, the coalition’s Presidential Council discussed in its periodic meeting “the developments in the country and the repercussions of the war launched by the rebel Rapid Support Forces militias and their foreign mercenaries, and their supporters from internal political forces and countries conspiring against our country and people.”
The Broad Islamic Current, formed after the 2021 military coup, opposes the framework agreement and the U.N. presence in Sudan. It comprises various Islamist groups, notably excluding the Popular Congress Party.
The most prominent forces forming the Islamic Current include the Islamic Movement, the Just Peace Forum, the Reform Now Movement, two factions of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the State of Law and Development Party led by preacher Mohamed Ali al-Jazouli, who has been detained by the Rapid Support Forces since the early months of the war.
The National Justice Alliance, headed by Al-Tijani Al-Sisi, also joined this coalition, along with the Renaissance Current under the leadership of Mohamed Majzoub, and the Unity of the Ranks Initiative, an Islamic current that chose to remain neutral when the Islamic Movement split in 1999.
The election of Karti signals a reassertion of the Islamist bloc amidst the ongoing war, despite his conspicuous absence. The coalition’s statement criticized the RSF and its alleged foreign backers, reflecting a stance aligned with the military.
The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has devastated Sudan, causing widespread displacement and a humanitarian crisis. The Broad Islamic Current’s involvement underscores the complex political landscape and the continuing influence of Islamist factions in the country’s turmoil.
(ST)