Sudanese police arrest leading opposition party members, soldiers in relation to alleged coup plot

KHARTOUM, Sudan, March 29, 2004 (AP) — Sudanese police have arrested several opposition party leaders and army officers in connection with an alleged plan to oust President Omar el-Bashir in a military coup, the party said in a statement Monday.

The National Congress Party statement said six party leaders have been in custody since Sunday and the party’s assistant secretary-general, Abdullah Hassan Ahmed, was interrogated by security officials before being released.

The statement, obtained by The Associated Press, also said interrogators told Ahmed that police had arrested several army officers from Western Sudan in relation to allegedly plotting to stage a coup.

According to the statement, government officials alleged that an unidentified number of soldiers, police and security officials from the restive Western Darfur province were plotting to oust el-Bashir. Some officers were detained while others were posted to other provinces in Sudan .

Rebels in western Sudan have been fighting for more than a year for an equal share of the wealth of Africa’s largest nation plus greater political representation. Hundreds have been killed and more than 600,000 people have fled their homes.

No further details were available on the alleged coup plot. Sudanese officials and National Congress Party members weren’t immediately available for comment.

The statement said police released Ahmed after warning him against participating in any political party gatherings or holding meetings at his house.

Homes of other leading party members have also been searched, including that of party leader Hassan Turabi, whose son, Sideek, is being sought by authorities, the statement said.

Turabi helped stage a 1989 coup that brought one-time ally el-Bashir to power. Turabi became speaker of parliament and was the government’s chief Islamic ideologue until he clashed with el-Bashir in a power struggle in 2000.

Turabi was released last October after spending two years under house arrest amid a reform drive considered as el-Bashir’s effort to unite with some northern opposition groups and strengthen the government’s position in peace talks with southern rebels fighting a 20-year civil war.

International and local pressure has been heaped on el-Bashir’s government to introduce political reforms and expand human rights in Sudan , where the government has been criticized for cracking down on opposition groups and closing reformist newspapers.