Sudan’s 2nd VP Taha may be replaced: report

October 4, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir is mulling replacing his second vice president Ali Osman Taha, according to a newspaper report.
The London based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, quoted unidentified ruling National Congress Party (NCP) who said that alternatively Bashir may appoint a VP from Darfur in addition to Taha and First VP Salva Kiir from South Sudan.
The officials said that the Sudanese president has shortlisted three names from Darfur who are also members of the Popular Congress Party (PCP) headed by Islamic opposition leader Hassan Al-Turabi who was a former ally of Bashir.
They also spoke of a memorandum signed by a substantial number of NCP figures demanding an end to what they call hegemony by the security group on the party.
Furthermore they said that there are two factions within the NCP, one that want to empower Bashir’s grip on the party while the other wants to separate the presidency from the NCP leadership.
The PCP assistant Secretary General Ali Al-Hag told the newspaper that said that there is an ongoing conflict between Bashir and Taha which may trigger the reshuffle.
Relations between Bashir and Taha worsened starting in April 2006 when he made statements in Brussels stating that Sudan might accept UN peacekeepers in Darfur, a position contrary to that of his boss.
Taha was summoned immediately upon his return by Bashir and the latter directed heavy yelling at his Vice president for making the remarks according to multiple sources at the time. He has been largely marginalized ever since.
In an interview with the independent Al-Sahafa newspaper this week, the Islamic scholar warned that Taha should stay in his position because he represents the Islamic movement in the NCP and the government.
Taha is the elected head of the Islamic movement in Sudan.
If the report is true, this would be the second major change in the government since the powerful chief of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Salah Gosh was removed last August.
There has been widespread rumors in Khartoum that Bashir is suspecting that Gosh and Taha are seeking to oust him as president with the aid of Western countries.
Bashir faces an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes allegedly committed in Sudan’s western region of Darfur.
The warrant has limited his travel outside the country, his adviser Ghazi Salah Al-Deen told Associated Press last month. Furthermore US & European dignitaries have avoided meeting him following the warrant.
(ST)