Sudanese opposition developing a widening rift
December 26, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – A coalition of opposition parties appear to be heading towards a collision course with the leader of the National Umma Party (NUP) al-Sadiq al-Mahdi following recent remarks made by the latter.
The former Prime Minister added that the alliance lacks effective structure and that its decisions are coming from the top and are detached from reality.
The NCF is an umbrella body whose most notable members are the NUP and the Popular Congress Party (PCP) of veteran Islamist Hassan Al-Turabi.
Al-Mahdi also accused some of the opposition figures within the alliance of pursuing selfish goals that aim at leveraging on the current political crisis in the country.
“These factors have created a credibility gap so the people laughed at our performance the same way they laughed at the broad-based government [recently formed]” al-Mahdi said.
Multiple opposition sources told Sudan Tribune that the alliance intends to formulate a “strong” response to al-Mahdi’s statements and not turn a blind eye to them like they did in the past.
The sources, which asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, accused al-Mahdi of seeking to oust the alliance leader Farouk Abu Essa and take over from him. They pointed to a promise al-Mahdi made to Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir to lead a “responsible opposition”.
In the past the NUP chief has persistently called for restructuring the alliance and changing its name to reflect the party’s weight.
Al-Mahdi’s recent stances that were harshly critical of armed opposition and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in north and South Sudan have drawn anger among other opposition parties.
The former PM is of the view that armed action leads to restrictions on freedoms and hinder a peaceful democratic change in the country. But others argue that military campaign undermines the regime and would lead to its downfall eventually.
(ST)