The leader of the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change and the Secretary-General of the Sudanese Congress Party, Khaled Omer, ruled out any role of the former director of National Intelligence and Security Service Salah Abdallah “Gosh” in the Sudanese revolution, adding that such claims were baseless.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Omer said: “the forces of freedom and change, relied entirely on the popular will for change and had no connection with any party to the former regime.”
Omer warned of a possible military coup against the transitional authority, noting: “The possibility is present, and its exclusion is a desire; because there are internal and external parties have an interest in blocking the road to the revolution.”
In this regard, he called on the forces of freedom and change and the transitional government to fill the loopholes through which the coup could be carried out, by expanding the base of civil and public forces.
Omer explained that measures taken against the masterminds and perpetrators of the 1989 coup were aimed at holding accountable those who committed crimes against the Sudanese people.
“They are not directed against a particular group or ideology, or Islamists,” he stressed.
“Any Islamist, who has not committed crimes or corruption, has the right to practice political work, preach his ideas and compete in the elections,” Omer underlined.
Regarding the file of transitional justice, Omer explained that the transitional government was very serious in its investigation.
“Certainly the criminals will be held accountable for what they have committed… there is a real will to enforce justice without political influences,” the Sudanese official remarked.
Omer said he believed that it was premature to assess the performance of the transitional government, adding that the forces of freedom and change and the government were doing their best to meet the high aspirations of the people and overcome great challenges ahead.
He described the “divergence of views and attitudes” within a broad coalition such as the forces of freedom and change, including the civil forces, as a “natural reflection” of their different analyses, tactics, and predictions of the prevailing political conditions.
Omer pointed out that the former regime harmed Sudan’s relations with its Arab and African regional environment.
“One of the tasks of the revolution is to establish relations that preserve national sovereignty and reach understandings with the regional environment as a necessary and important issue,” he emphasized.
“The forces of change and the transitional government are doing their utmost to deal with the complex regional issues… and build balanced relations with neighboring countries,” he concluded.
