sudans strong man and vice president resigns

[sahal80]

Ali osman taha the vice president of sudan and the most important of the al turabi disciples and his successor in the islamic movement has resigned from his post in what seems a new split in the ruling national islamic front

The split has started after ghazi al atabani the ex minister of information, al bashirs adviser and the second disciple of al turabi in the movement has formed a new party that has caused a lot of splits in the ruling party

Ali osman was the man who brought al bashir to the power as he was responsible for the ikhwan activites in the army

As an opportunist he become againist his university professor and shaykh in the movement, he even picked for him his wife from his al mahdiya in-laws

The new vice president bakri al salah is another general and al bashirs old friend and the man who trust him so much, he was his interior and defence minister

Atleast taha has resigned in a good way, al bashir says "taha is the spearhead and the leader of change in the formation of the new cabinet"

"Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Saturday officially announced the stepping down of his First Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha shortly before a planned cabinet reshuffle.

"Taha voluntarily relinquished his post as he did before in favor of the peace process," said al-Bashir in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the establishment of the first Islamic Kingdom in Sudan.

"Taha's stepping down from his post aims to set a model and provide opportunities for young people to lead the political work in the coming period," added al-Bashir.

Meanwhile, al-Bashir denied any split existing in the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) regarding the expected cabinet reshuffle, reiterating that the outgoing ministers voluntarily asked for leaving their posts.

Sudan's local media on Friday quoted Taha as saying that he resigned to give way to a new generation, affirming that there were no conflicts within the leadership.

"We will open a door for change and renewal. This is something we have agreed upon," Taha said.

Taha is considered the second most powerful man in the National Islamic Front after Hassan Abdalla al-Turabi, who defected from the NCP in December 1999 due to differences with Bashir.

After Bashir assumed power in 1989, Taha served as a member of the Sudanese National Assembly for 1991-1993 before being appointed as Minister of Social Planning for 1993-1995 and as Foreign Minister for 1995-1998.

After the death of former First Vice President Al-Zubair Mohamed in a plane crash, Taha became the first vice president in 1998 and stayed in the post until 2005.

On July 2005, Taha took oath as Second Vice President, giving way to Salva Kiir Mayardit representing the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), which signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) with the Sudanese government after 25 years of civil war.

After South Sudan officially separated from the north in 2011, Taha resumed his post as the first vice president, succeeding Mayardit who became the president of newly-born South Sudan"