Sudan’s dominant party hopes to reunite with Turabi party

August 10, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan dominant party, the National Congress Party (NCP) said dialogue with the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) is continuing at the official and popular levels to end causes of differences.

Sudanese Presidential adviser Mustafa Osman Ismail on Monday said that Social relations between the leaderships of the two parties become better than it was before.

Further, he expressed hope that these social contacts would help to bridge the caps and lead to the unity of the Sudanese Islamic movement.

The former National Islamic Front, which toppled the democratic government of former Prime Minister Sadiq Al-Mahdi in June 1989, splinted in 1999 over the future of the regime. The former leader of the NIF turned NCP, Hassan A-Turabi, called for more powers to the regions and gradual democratic transition as well as to include more traditional Islamic forces in the government.

The government of President Omer Al-Bashir imprisoned the leadership of the PCP when Turabi in 2001 signed an agreement with the SPLM in Geneva. Since, Turabi supporters are arrested regularly particularly after the establishment of a rebel group in Darfur by some of his former supporters in 2003.

However the two factions of the Sudanese Islamist movement despite the different meetings to resolve divergences, failed to settle their conflict. Some groups within the two parties however call to reunite the party before the 2010 elections.

Also with the marginalization of Vice-President Ali Osman Taha, the reconciliation supporters see there is a good opportunity to bridge the caps between the two factions. Taha was considered as the principal actor of Turabi eviction from the party.

(ST)