GOS RELEASES SADIQ, MOHAMMED OSMAN AND TURABI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 12704 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY NAIROBI PLEASE PASS TO CARTER PARTY E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINR SU SUBJECT: GOS RELEASES SADIQ, MOHAMMED OSMAN AND TURABI ¶1. SUMMARY. THE GOS RELEASED NOVEMBER 17 THE DETAINED LEADERS OF ALL POLITICAL PARTIES EXCEPT THE COMMUNIST PARTY. GENERAL OMAR AL-BASHIR TOLD PRESIDENT CARTER THAT ONLY FOURTEEN POLITICAL PRISONERS ARE STILL DETAINED. WE ESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF POLITICAL DETAINEES, MOSTLY UNIONISTS AND SUSPECTED COMMUNISTS, HAVE DECLINED SUBSTANTIALLY TO ABOUT 150. THE RELEASES APPARENTLY ARE PART OF AN ONGOING EFFORT TOWARD NATIONAL RECONCILIATION THAT SEEKS TO BROADEN THE BASE OF THE GOVERNMENT. SEPTEL WILL INCLUDE NAMES AND BIOS OF ALL DETAINEES. THE FOLLOWING ARE ONLY THE MOST PROMINENT. END SUMMARY. ¶2. PARTY LEADERS RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 17 INCLUDE: -- SADIQ AL MAHDI OF THE UMMA PARTY. SADIQ WAS PRIME MINISTER FROM 1986 UNTIL THE JUNE 30 COUP; -- MOHAMMAD OSMAN AL MIRGHANI, LEADER DEMOCRATIC UNIONIST PARTY (DUP). MOHAMMAD OSMAN IS ALSO RELIGIOUS LEADER OF THE KHATMIYYA RELIGIOUS SECT; -- HASSAN AL-TURABI OF THE NATIONAL ISLAMIC FRONT (NIF); TURABI SERVED AS MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND ATTORNEY GENERAL/MINISTER OF JUSTICE UNDER SADIQ FROM JULY 1988 TO MARCH 1989. TURABI'S PARTY WAS IN OPPOSITION AT THE TIME OF THE COUP; -- ELIABA JAMES SUROUR OF THE PROGRESSIVE PEOPLES PARTY (PPP),AN EQUATORIAN-BASED PARTY. SUROR SERVED AS OPPOSITION LEADER IN THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY FROM JULY 1988 TO APRIL 1989. A PROMINENT SOUTHERN POLITICIAN, HE ALSO HEADED A SOUTHERN OPPOSITION ALLIANCE, THE UNITED SOUTHERN AFRICAN PARTY (USAP); -- SAMUEL ARU BOL OF THE SOUTHERN SUDAN POLITICAL ASSOCIATION (SSPA),A DINKA-BASED PARTY FORMED IN 1985. ARU BOL HEADED A PRO-SPLM FACTION THAT OPPOSED SADIQ UNTIL APRIL 1989. ¶3. GENERAL OMAR AL-BASHIR TOLD VISITING FORMER PRESIDENT CARTER THAT ONLY FOURTEEN POLITICAL PRISONERS REMAINED DETAINED, WE ASSUME AFTER THE RELEASE OF THESE DETAINEES. THIS NUMBER, HOWEVER, PROBABLY DOES NOT INCLUDE MANY UNIONISTS AND PERSONS OFFICIALLY UNAFFILIATED WITH A PARTY WHO COULD BE CONSIDERED POLITICAL DETAINEES. WE ESTIMATE THAT THE NUMBER OF THESE DETAINEES HAS DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS TO ABOUT 150 (FROM OVER 400). ¶4. FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER MOHAMMED TEWFIQ (DUP) AND SADIQ'S WIFE SARRA AL-FADIL AL-MAHDI ARE AMONG A NUMBER OF OTHER POLITICIANS RELEASED (SEPTEL). ¶5. THOSE IDENTIFIED WITH THE SUDAN COMMUNIST PARTY (SCP) REMAIN IN PRISON, INCLUDING SCP CHIEF MOHAMMAD IBRAHIM NUGUD, AL-TIJANI AL-TAYEB, AND JOSEPH MODESTO. ALL SOUTHERN POLITICIANS HAVE NOW BEEN RELEASED EXCEPT MODESTO AND YOHANNES AKOL (A FORMER MEMBER OF THE ASSEMBLY AND LAM AKOL'S BROTHER). PROMINENT NONCOMMUNIST POLITICIANS STILL DETAINED INCLUDE FORMER FOREIGN AND INTERIOR MINISTER SID AHMED AL-HUSSEIN (DUP SECRETARY GENERAL AND VERY ANTI-NIF),FORMER FINANCE, ENERGY AND INFORMATION MINISTER BASHIR OMER (UMMA),FORMER STATE COUNCIL MEMBER IDRIS AL-BANNA (UMMA) AND OSMAN OMER AL-SHARIF (DUP). ¶6. COMMENT. FORMER PRESIDENT CARTER'S VISIT TO KHARTOUM NOVEMBER 17-18 PROBABLY PLAYED A ROLE IN THE TIMING OF THE LONG-RUMORED RELEASES OF POLITICAL PARTY LEADERS. THE RELEASES APPEAR TO BE PART OF AN ONGOING EFFORT BY THE RCC TOWARD DEFUSING OPPOSITION AND BROADENING THEIR BASE OF SUPPORT. THE PARTY LEADERS WERE APPARENTLY RELEASED UNCONDITIONALLY AFTER PARTY REPRESENTATIVES SIGNED A DOCUMENT SUPPORTING GOS EFFORTS TOWARD NATIONAL RECONICILIATION. MANY SUDANESE BELIEVE A CABINET RESHUFFLE BRINGING DUP, UMMA AND NIF MEMBERS INTO THE GOVERNMENT MAY BE IN THE CARDS. CHEEK