Opposition leader distances himself from 100-day scheme to topple regime Article Comments (4) Email Print Save June 12, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The leader of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP), Al-Sadig Al-Mahdi, has distanced himself from the 100-day plan to overthrow the government which was adopted last week by the opposition umbrella National Consensus forces (NCF). Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi (Reuters) Al-Mahdi said at a press conference on Wednesday that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has to choose between sitting at round table with all opposition forces to resolve the issues of the country and forming a transitional government or facing a popular uprising and peaceful protests. The former Prime Minister also announced a new initiative to change the regime through collecting a million signature and organizing sit-ins in public squares and He pointed out that the initiative will be implemented expeditiously to avert any possible war between Khartoum and Juba as well as working to arrive at a common ground with the rebels of Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF). Al-Mahdi disclosed that he was approached to participate in the summit meeting which will soon be organized by the presidency, saying that he had been assured that all parties will participate in the meeting and freedom of discussion is fully guaranteed. The NUP leader, who avoided using the phrase “toppling the regime” and instead used “changing the regime”, said that his initiative differs from the 100-day plan of the NCF which he downplayed its effectiveness. He further called upon the authorities not to suppress the sit-ins and said “We will try to avoid clashes with the authorities and the latter must respect the desire of the people" and added that internal circumstances are conducive for change. Al-Mahdi also revealed that he made contacts with some international parties about the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against Sudan’s president to arrive at an agreement, saying that these parties showed flexibility towards his call for reconciling between stability and the implications of the arrest warrant. He directed scathing criticism at the NCF saying the 100-day plan to topple the regime is in effect an explicit call to suppress it and said that his party was not involved in the preparation and coordination of the plan, stressing that he supports change through peaceful means and not toppling the government within hundred days. But NUP’s representative at the NCF, Abd Al-Galil Al-Basha, passed a note to Al-Mahdi during his remarks saying that he participated in all stages and preparations of the 100-day plan. However, al-Mahdi ignored the note and instead said that the NCP plans means mobilizing and not overthrowing the regime. The NUP leader further called upon the government to reconsider its decision to halt flow of South Sudan’s oil through Sudan’s territory and said that the government’s pretext for stoppage is a lame excuse because support for rebels has continued even when Juba shut down the oil fields, praising remarks of president Salva Kiir and his call for calm. Khartoum has said that its decision to halt flow of the southern oil move was in response to South Sudan’s funding of rebels fighting his government. Al-Mahdi said that the African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki will put forward new proposals to bring closer the views of Sudan and South Sudan notably the formation of a committee of wise men to take up complaints of the two sides, saying that Mbeki believes that the main differences between the two countries are the support of the armed opposition and disagreement over border areas. In a separate issue, the opposition leader said that Sudan would largely benefit from the controversial Ethiopian renaissance dam as it will provide continuous water flow throughout the year as well as reducing sedimentation in Al-Rusairs dam and producing cheap electricity which could be exported to Sudan. The remarks by the NUP chief will likely fuel long-standing suspicions by other opposition parties that al-Mahdi is working to frustrate any efforts to move in the direction of regime change. Since Al-Mahdi’s son Abdel-Rahman took up the post of president Bashir’s presidential assistant it was widely seen as a step by al-Mahdi to appease to the ruling NCP. Some within the NUP politburo privately say that they believe al-Mahdi has forged a secret deal with the NCP by which he would work to block any efforts in the direction of regime change.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:26:57 +0000
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