The National Islamic Front’s bid to smash the opposition while convincing outsiders it seeks reconciliation has provoked the normally taciturn Saudi Arabian government into denying reports that it had offered to host talks between the NIF and opposition in Mecca.
The Saudi Defence Minister said Saudi was ready to help –as long as this didn’t interfere with the ‘Libyan-Egyptian initiative’ or that of the IGAD. Khartoum’s proposal inevitably interferes with booth, just as the Libyan-Egyptian initiative overtakes IGAD. Those trying to supersede IGAD now label it a ‘United States initiative’ : it would not to go down well internationally to stress that it’s in fact overseen by Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.
Khartoum is also trying, with some success, to fuel opposition disarray. The suggestion that the meeting should be in Mecca is typically NIF, wrong-footing everyone, including the putative Saudi hosts. The vast majority of Southerners are not Muslims and non-Muslims are not allowed in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Thus the NIF was excluding not only its Southern opponents but also its allies, including Southern Coordination Council head Riek Machar and Transport Minister Lam Akol, Secretary of its latest peace committee. The Sudan Communist Party might also have a problem attending. Some suspect Khartoum intends to depict itself as more religiously tolerant than Saudi.

In another negotiating gambit from Khartoum, Lieutenant General Omer el Beshir asked South African President Thabo Mbeki to broker a meeting with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Durban on 12-15 November.
Mbeki conveyed the request to a sceptical Museveni, who told Africa Confidential : “As the President of my country, I have a duty to pursue negotiations through any channels”. Yet by the closing day of the Commonwealth conference. Beshir had sent a message to Museveni that he had fallen sick and wouldn’t be coming. “This is the second time this has happened. I think we shall have to ignore such requests in future”, said Luseveni, noting that he had taken come through Mbeki , whom he regarded as a credible channel. Meanwhile, Mustafa Osman announced President Beshir had a “prior engagement”.

Even the short spells of Democracy were heavily loaded with Arabism and Islam. It was however the military regimes that forced this program through : General Abboud called for “one Sudan”, “one language” (Arabic), “one Religion” (Islam). Field Marshal Nimeiri imposed the Islamic Sharia on the whole Country. The present regime has made Islam its principal program and systematically applies it to all aspects of the political, judicial, executive, legislative, economic and social structures of State.