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Sudan moves against Bashir loyalists after assassination attempt
[AlAhram] Sudan's ruling council said on Tuesday it would step up its drive to remove loyalists of former president Omar al-Bashir ...Former President-for-Life of Sudan He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself head cheese. He fell out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to ArabizeDarfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Hee was overthrown by popular consent in 2019. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it... , a day after the prime minister of the transitional government escaped an liquidation attempt unscathed. A branch of Sudan's security services that was closely linked to Bashir will be brought under control of the civilian government and a committee tasked with dismantling the old regime will be given additional powers, sovereign council front man Mohammed al-Faki said in a statement. Authorities have launched an investigation into Monday's liquidation attempt, when a blast targeted Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's convoy as he drove to work. They have not said who was behind it, but by reasserting that Bashir loyalists will be firmly dealt with, they have suggested possible links with old regime supporters trying to disrupt a democratic transition. Hamdok heads a government of technocrats serving under a 39-month power-sharing deal between civilian groups and the military that was struck after Bashir was tossed last April. As part of efforts to disempower Bashir's supporters, the "dismantling" committee has already moved to disband the former ruling party and dismiss bigwigs at banks and embassies. Some officers at the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) have also been dismissed, and the name of the agency has been changed to the General Intelligence Service (GIS). Faki said on Tuesday that the part of the GIS that operates inside Sudan would be brought under the interior ministry. In mid-January, armed security agents linked to Bashir fought soldiers in Khartoum for several hours, after a dispute linked to severance packages. Related: Abdalla Hamdok: 2020-01-16 Five killed as Sudan crushes revolt by security agents Abdalla Hamdok: 2019-12-09 Sudan has 5,000 troops in Yemen, down from 15,000 Abdalla Hamdok: 2019-12-06 Sudan PM sees progress on US terror list removal Posted by: trailing wife 2020-03-13 |
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