adminAt about the same time, a witness saw tanks moving in the streets of the capital.
One of those being questioned about the plot was Salah Gosh, longtime head of Sudan’s intelligence service until three years ago, senior ruling party official Rabbie Abdelatti Ebaid said.
But a spokesman for an alliance of opposition parties denied any link with attempts to bring about violent political change in the country which has already experienced seven coups or attempted coups in its 56-year history.
“The security and intelligence service early today stopped a plot to disturb security,” said the Sudanese Media Centre, which is close to the security apparatus.
The centre quoted a source as saying authorities had been investigating both civilian and military personnel.
“This plot is led by some opposition party leaders,” it said.
Ebaid, of the ruling National Congress Party, said he did not think that the former intelligence chief Gosh was under detention.
“They called him to get information because he was head of intelligence before,” Ebaid said, adding security agents were still in the process of clarifying information about the plot.
“Up to now I don’t think the information is clear,” Ebaid said. “I don’t think this is a coup.”
President Omar al-Bashir replaced Gosh with Gosh’s number two, General Mohamed Atta al-Moula, in August 2009.
Gosh then became presidential security adviser until he was sacked early last year. He had been pushing for dialogue with the political opposition.
Farouk Abu Issa, spokesman for the opposition parties, said he had heard about the plot allegation, “but I think it is fake.”
He said the opposition supports democratic, peaceful change through strikes and demonstrations against Bashir’s 23-year Islamist regime.
“The government knows that,” he said.
A witness said that he saw troops moving early yesterday, about the same time as the plot was reportedly broken up. “About 2:00am while passing Obeid Khatim Street I saw some tanks and vehicles with military equipment and soldiers coming from a southerly direction and heading downtown,” said the witness, who asked for anonymity.
Obeid Khatim Street is a wide thoroughfare running alongside Khartoum’s military and civilian airports, leading into the downtown area where government buildings are located. However, there were no signs of extra troops downtown later yesterday.
Islamist reformers charge that corruption and other problems have left the government Islamic only in name and question how much longer Bashir should remain in power.
Analysts say the security forces themselves do not uniformly support the regime, which is fighting rebellions in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, as well as unrest in Darfur, while tensions have resurfaced on the unmarked border with South Sudan. — AFP
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