Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood splits for the third time
June 15, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood has split following differences between the Shura (Consultative) Council and the Controller General Ali Jawish on decisions made by the latter to postpone the General Conference and disband group’s offices.
An emergency meeting of the Shura Council on Wednesday has decided to relieve Jawish and appoint the former Controller General Al-Hibir Youssif Nour al-Daem in his place on a temporary basis and until the General Conference is being held.
Member of Shura Council Omer al-Hibir told Sudan Tribune that the emergency meeting followed a series of decisions taken by Jawish to disband the group’s organs including the Executive Office and the Shura Council as well as postponing the General Conference which was scheduled to take place in July and appointing a committee to run the group’s affairs temporarily.
He described Jawish’s decisions as an “unjustified coup” to impose a new reality within the group in order to maintain the interests of specific members before holding the General Conference.
Al-Hibir stressed that the meeting Nour al-Daeam was assigned to carry out the tasks of the Controller General until holding the General Conference in mid-October.
He pointed that the emergency meeting, which Jawish didn’t attend despite his membership in the Shura Council, also decided to suspend membership of all those whose names appeared on the list of the committee which was appointed by Jawish to run the group’s affairs and to replace them by other members in the Executive Office.
Al-Hibir further described the move as “a de facto split”, saying it was caused by an old difference regarding a decision to merge with the group that had split in 1991.
Last January, the two groups signed an agreement to merge in one group under the name of the Muslim Brotherhood.
It is noteworthy that the Muslim Brotherhood led by Jawish had abandoned its partnership with the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) following the latter’s recognition of the Egyptian President Abde-Fatah al-Sisi who overthrow the regime of the former President Mohamed Morsi.
For his part, Jawish said his decisions were aimed to make the group avoid serious risks that could lead to a third split as has occurred in 1969 and 1991.
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune
He said that he was forced to make those decisions in order to maintain the unity, history and future of the Muslim Brotherhood.
“The General Conference has been delayed and the existing organs [of the group] including the Shura Council, the Executive Offices and its subcommittees within measures that seek to maintain the unity and coherence of the group,” he said.
Jawish further called upon the members to name a group of secretaries to run the work alongside the Controller General, pointing that a new Shura Commission has been formed from the states’ officials to approve a temporary plan until the General Conference elects new leadership and develop a comprehensive work plan.
(ST)