The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir offered to release opposition figures detained by authorities since last December in return for them making a formal apology in which they acknowledge that they violated Sudan’s criminal law.
- Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir addresses soldiers in the capital, Khartoum, on 16 March 2009 (Photo: Reuters)
Farouk Abu-Essa who chairs the opposition National Consensus Forces (NCF) and Amin Mekki Medani who heads the alliance of the Sudanese Civil Society Organizations were arrested after being signatories to the “Sudan Call” accord with the rebel umbrella Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) and the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) in Addis Ababa last year.
Bashir, who spoke to reporters on the plane flying back from UAE, said that Abu-Essa has a history of apologizing to the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) for standing by late president Ja’afar Nimeiri after his crackdown on communists in the early 70’s.
Several charges have been filed against Abu-Essa and Medani including undermining the constitutional system and waging war against the state, crimes punishable by death.
The two men have swiftly refused a government offer a month ago to apologize in order to drop charges and set them free.
Bashir said that the same stipulation applies to NUP leader al-Sadiq al-Mahdi who has remained abroad after signing the accord amid threats by the Sudanese leader to prosecute him once he returns.
The Sudanese president however, acknowledged the existence of channels of communication with al-Mahdi without giving details.
He underscored that al-Mahdi sought to give his blessing to SRF which is fighting the government which is unacceptable in any country.
The government’s relations with al-Mahdi turned sour after his withdrawal from the dialogue process initiated by Bashir last year. That was in retaliation for his one-month arrest last May by authorities for accusing government militias of committing violations in war zones.
Bashir stressed that he will not allow dialogue to lead to a state breakdown like Yemen.
He also defended the recent confiscation of 14 newspapers in one day saying that when media houses publish false information that creates mistrust between people and government, authorities must invoke the law.
In a separate issue, Bashir spoke that al-Mahdi withdrew from 2010 presidential elections after receiving reports from his bases that he will suffer a stunning defeat if he continues to run.
He said that the strongest challenger in the 2010 was Yasser Arman from then Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) since he had the backing of the south which is now an independent state.
