| Submit your comments on this article |
| Africa: Horn |
| Khartoum Govt Denies Banning Mahdi Party |
| 2005-04-10 |
| Sudan said yesterday it had not banned the country's largest opposition party, which has been pushing for the government to cooperate more with a UN resolution to send alleged war criminals to trial. The Umma Party, led by the last democratically elected leader in Sudan, Sadiq Al-Mahdi, said on Wednesday it was stopped from holding a rally and armed police and security officials stormed its headquarters, arresting officials. The party's vice president said security officials read out an order to him banning the party from political activities. But Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said the party had not been banned. "That's not true," he told reporters in Khartoum yesterday. "It's up to them to continue their political activities," he said, adding the party had been banned only from holding the rally because it did not have the proper security permission. Party spokeswoman Mariam Al-Mahdi, also Sadiq's daughter, said the security services had released the party officials. "But they are still daily monitoring our movements, detaining our people and they have banned our students from holding rallies," she told Reuters. |
| Posted by:Fred |