Back in Sudan on November 23 after four years in exile (ION 928), ex-prime minister Sadiq al Mahdi was able to chair the political bureau meeting of his party, UMMA, for the first time in years. As expected, the two principal factions fought over the stand to take vis à vis the government. 

On one side, Mubarak al Fadil al Mahdi who is very pro-regime insisted that the national programme UMMA is negotiating with Mutammar al-Watani (National Congress, formerly called National Islamic Front). On the other side, Adam Musa Madibo and Abd er Rahman Nugdallah were against any bilateral agreement with NC which aimed to set up any kind of power-sharing. They consider that would help the regime without leading to a restoration of democracy in Sudan. 

Sadiq al Mahdi sided with this majority view in the political bureau. Members decided to keep talking with the government but said that UMMA would only be able to participate in a government of national salvation with other political forces if the government did decide to restore democracy.

In addition, UMMA has taken a series of measures designed to structure its base and to engage dialogue with other political forces in the country. This is a decision which will satisfy Hassan al Turabi, al Mahdi's brother-in-law, who had rushed round to greet him after he returned from abroad but takes a dim view of UMMA throwing itself into the arms of head of state Omar Hassan al Bechir. 

Al Mahdi received a delegation of the Shabiyi branch of NC (which groups Turabi partisans) headed by Ali al Haji last week. Turabi is trying to persuade his brother-in-law to join him in a bid to mobilize their joint supporters against the regime.