Eritrea refuses to deliver a visa to the SAF to participate in the Sudanese opposition meeting

ASMARA, July 10, 2004 (Sudan Tribune) — Eritrean authorities refused to deliver an entry visa to Isam Mirgahni the representative of the opposition Sudan Alliance Forces (SAF), headed by Abdelaziz Khaled.

Mirghani had to participate to the meeting of the direction of the Sudanese National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which will start tomorrow in the Eritrean capital Asmara.

Eritrea, last month, declared persona non grata the leader of the SAF, Abdelaziz Khaled. Informed sources said Khaled has good relations with Ethiopia and this issue bothered Asmara.

Khaled resides nowadays in Cairo.

According to the London based Asharq Alawsat, Eritrea wants to boost the dissident faction in the SAF, but NDA direction denied such speculations assuring that the other wing will not participate in the meeting because NDA does not support dissidence.

The NDA direction will act to reconcile the two streams of the SAF, a Sudanese opposition source said.

Unconfirmed reports say SAF has a military camp inside Ethiopia and Abdelaziz Khaled disconcerted Eritrea which is in war against Ethiopia by his contacts with Addis Ababa.

In the last two months Abdelaziz Khaled made several statements to the Sudanese press saying that Eritrea didn’t allow him to leave the country, and his Eritrean passport had been withdrawn.

Malcontent from these statements, Eritrean authorities declared Abdelaziz persona non grata and asked him to leave its territory immediately.