Africa
Sudan opposition walks out of House over security laws
Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir. His party has nominated him to stand for election next year. Photo/ REUTERS
Posted Monday, October 26 2009 at 19:06
Senior NCP official Ibrahim Ghandour accused the SPLM of holding up democracy, questioning how a boycott would advance talks on the law.
“We are not going to stop the parliament holding its sessions, because we are about to start the election process,” he told Reuters.
Electoral registration will begin on November 1 in Africa’s largest country ahead of the already much delayed first multi-party vote in 24 years, which is due in April.
A civil war
Sudan’s north-south civil war claimed 2 million lives and drove more than 4 million from their homes, destabilising much of east Africa.
After gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1956, Sudan suffered a civil war, lasting 17 years.
Then followed an ethnic, religious, and economic conflict between the Northern Sudanese (with Arab and Nubian roots), and the Christian and traditionalist Nilotes of the South.
That led to a second civil war in 1983, and due to continuing political and military struggles, Sudan was seized in a coup d’état by Col al-Bashir in 1989, who thereafter proclaimed himself President.
Sudan is rich in natural resources such as petroleum and crude oil, and it’s economy is amongst the fastest growing in the world.
RSS