Protesters killing sparks split in Sudan’s ruling party

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir ordered an official investigation into 31 politicians who publicly criticised Sudan’s use of live ammunition on protesters during demonstrations last month.

The Sudanese Doctors Union said that 210 protesters were killed during the extended protests and thousands were arrested. Internal party conflicts emerged during the clashes when 31 members of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) wrote: Mr President, in the light what is happening we demand an immediate stop of the economic measures.”

Bashir, who has ruled Sudan since 1989, rarely faces dissent from the ranks of the political elite, and he responded with impatience towards the reformists in his party, ordering a committee to investigate their petition and those behind it.

The petition criticised the package of economic measures which prompted thousands of Sudanese to take to the streets in protest. It also chided the government’s move to forbid peaceful demonstrations and kill demonstrators. It outlined seven demands:
1. Stop economic measures;
2. Assign the economic plan to a professional national economic team that includes members from all political forces to find solutions for the crisis within two weeks;
3. Form a national consensus mechanism among political powers to tackle political issues;
4. Halt media censorship;
5. Allow the liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, including the freedom of peaceful demonstration;
6. Run neutral investigations into the use of live ammunition on citizens and punish those responsible; and
7. Compensate the affected citizens for killing, injuring or sabotaging.Bashir said that the Investigation and Accountability Committee (IAC) would be headed by the parliament speaker Ahmad Taher. It was due to submit its report within a week of the presidential decision, however the deadline was extended until after the Eid Al-Adha festivities. The report shall then be expected next week.

But Sudanese reformists were quick to criticise his move. The IAC is not a proper step -- it shrinks the problems of our country into one political procedure,” said Dr. Ghazi Atabani, who signed the petition and leads the reformist current within the NCP, on his Facebook page. It sends a negative message about the freedom available inside the NCP and raises questions about how ready its leaders are to accept new initiatives and ideas from citizens and from other political powers.”

The investigation highlighted conflicts within the ruling party according to an article in the Al-Yawm At-Tali daily published on October 6. It said petition signatories accused the head of the investigating body of taming parliament and distancing it from people’s main concerns.

Last Monday the IAC interviewed the leader of the last year’s alleged coup attempt Brigadier General Muhammad Ibrahim aka ‘Wad Ibrahim’.

The spat echoes tensions which emerged two years ago when al-Bashir was angered by an internal memo known as ‘The Thousand Brothers Memo’, which called for political and economic reforms. Back then, al-Bashir threatened to punish the signatories, but no measures were taken.

The future of the NCP’s reformist current remains open.

The decision to form a regulatory accountability committee to clamp down on dissent issued on October 2.The IAC has condemned the public criticism of the party from within its own ranks, saying it supported opposition aiming to overthrow the regime, weakened unity and served enemies inside and outside the country. It leaves signatories with two options; admit signing the document, which would prompt exclusion from the ruling party, or claiming they didn’t.

Ibrahim Bahereddin, a NCP parliament member, denied signing the petition, suggesting that he was out of the capital when it was created. However, it is likely that most signatories will stand their ground.

This suggests an emerging internal crisis within the NCP, a recent trend which accelerated amid the economic and political crises following South Sudan’s secession.

Last year’s attempted coup is seen as part of this internal conflict. Recent disagreement about the violent clampdown on demonstrations has sparked heightened tensions.

The reformist current has supporters, but they are not in the higher echelons of the NCP. It is unlikely that a large number of NCP members would join the reformist current due to the overlap between the public institutions and the NCP, including appointment and jobs.

The biggest threat represented by the reformist element is that it has supporters among members of the army and the police.

The army’s support is clear because the petition contained the signature of the leader of the latest attempted coup Brigadier General Wad Ibrahim and two other officers accused of involvement in the bid to seize power.

This likely makes the government focus on discovering and excluding all those who support the reformist movement within the police and the army from the ruling party.

However, given that those who would be excluded belong to the Islamic Movement, which is the equivalent of the Muslim Brothers in Egypt for example, expelling reformists would likely reduce support for al-Bashir among civilians and servicemen affiliated to the movement, thus creating a quandary for the NCP.