"Coup 89" in Sudan .. Battle of "breaking bone" between the People's Congress and the government

Muzdalifa Mohammed Osman-Khartoum

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's Popular Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday hinted at an escalation of confrontation with the transitional government if it continued to arrest its leaders. He said all options were open, including the overthrow of the existing regime, before calling for early elections.

The threats followed the arrest on Wednesday of the Secretary-General of the Popular Congress, Ali al-Haj Mohammad, in connection with a report against the perpetrators of the 1989 coup.

Ismail al-Azhari, head of the party's judicial department, said they had completed writing a memorandum to be submitted to the investigation committee on Sunday, demanding the cancellation of the complaint against Ali al-Haj and Ibrahim al-Sanusi.

The Public Prosecution has issued arrest warrants for Al-Haj and Al-Sanusi for their role in organizing the 1989 coup that brought ousted President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir to power. Hassan al-Turabi is the mastermind of the crackdown on the government of Sadiq al-Mahdi.

Senussi challenges
In turn, the chairman of the Shura Council of the People's Congress (Senussi) defied his arrest warrant, and arrived at the party headquarters and attend the press conference amid the cheers of his supporters.

During a press conference at the party's headquarters, People's Congress political official Idris Suleiman said they would not hesitate to activate all political and legal options to face the arrest process against the party's leaders, including the option of dropping them.

He also called on the government to heed the country's problems, to abandon political plots, liquidate opponents and resort to arbitrary arrests.

Suleiman warned against testing the patience of the Popular Congress, saying that the party's young supporters are able to confront the government of "forces of change."

"We hold the ruling coalition and its government any physical, psychological or damage to the dignity of the pilgrim, and there is no excuse for those who warned."

He also said that the prisons did not intimidate party leaders, but the issue of coups should be treated fairly and the trial of anyone who had participated or planned a coup since independence.

Draft consensus
As the language of threat and intimidation escalated, the CPPCC political official called for a national consensus project between all components and away from exclusion and isolation.

"If there is talk of not using armed forces, military coups and weapons to impose the people themselves for power, let us agree," he said.

"We are against military coups and against armed action, despite our belief in the fairness of the issues, but against the use of arms to impose a political agenda or to resolve the issues. We are for dialogue, consultation, consultation and unity," he said.

Suleiman attacked the current government, saying it could not solve Sudan's problems, and if it continues to rule the country will break up.

"Therefore, we call for elections as soon as possible, to be a democratic and fair election in which the people choose who they want," he said.

The forces of change and the transitional military council agreed last August to a constitutional document that included a three-year transitional government after which elections would be held.

Islamic lineup
Haj's arrest provokes widespread reactions. Observers believed that the move would disturb the political atmosphere and create a state of broad alignment of the Islamic currents in the face of the forces of "freedom and change" representing the ruling coalition.

Indeed, statements have been issued condemning the forces affiliated with the Islamic trend condemning the arrest of al-Haj, including the Muslim Brotherhood and the current victory of Sharia, as condemned by the Umma Party led by Mubarak al-Fadil.

Suleiman said that this campaign of arrests not only unites the Islamic currents, but bring together all the people of Sudan.

He stressed that they have received contacts from the coordination of national forces, which consists of thirty alliances comprising about two hundred bodies and political movement and an entity all reject the selective detention.

The most prominent forces affiliated with the Islamic Movement in coordination are the "Reform Now" movement led by Ghazi Salah al-Din, who is also on the wanted list to investigate the coup 89, as well as the "just peace forum" led by Tayeb Mustafa, who is also accused of participating in the coup plot.

National Net
The leader of the Popular Congress, Adam al-Taher Hamdoun, said that his party is keen on the real national reconciliation among all the people of Sudan regardless of political affiliation. "This will not happen unless many give up the illusions that control the heads."

He warned by talking to the island Net that the political mistakes led to the loss of South Sudan, and we must not repeat this matter with other areas in the country.

He added that exclusion, marginalization and violence would not benefit the country. "If the left forces want to isolate the Islamists and the Sudanese Muslim community already, this will not happen."

He pointed out that the actions of the current government will force all Islamic forces to unite, and line up more, in the face.