As supporters of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir increased their opposition to a planned agreement for a new civilian government, the United Nations expressed concern that a fatwa calling for the execution of its head might be published.
In a video circulated online, a man merely identified as Abdelmoneim addresses a gathering of individuals in Khartoum, including pro-Bashir Lawmakers who want to be a part of the deal.
“I offer to kill Volker, and I seek a fatwa (religious legal opinion) to make his blood permissible,” the man said. He was referring to the United Nations envoy, Volker Perthes.
The government, according to official sources, has initiated an investigation.
“The language of provocation and violence will only intensify divisions on the ground, but will not prevent the mission from carrying out its objectives,” the UN office in Sudan said in a statement.
Internal disagreements over suggestions for military reform, which might marginalize Bashir veterans who assumed control following the October 2021 coup, have delayed the finalization of the UN-backed draft pact.
After months of protests, military generals deposed Bashir on April 11, 2019. They launched a coup a little over two years later, sparking even more widespread demonstrations.
Pro-democracy leaders have pledged to retaliate against Bashir’s defunct National Congress Party in light of the recent political transition.
Under Bashir’s Islamic rule, there were long periods of international isolation and domestic upheaval.
There is military opposition to the UN operation and its leadership from Bashir loyalists.
“We’ve increased our public activities recently to protect national sovereignty against foreign intrusion,” one NCP leader said on condition of anonymity.
According to social media photographs and a statement by local activists, gangs close to the Bashir government beat pro-democracy demonstrators in Kober, a district where Bashir had resided, late on Monday.
Bashir, whose lengthy autocratic tenure was marred by protester assassinations and probable war crimes in Darfur, is currently being imprisoned in Kober jail, not far from the event.
Others in the audience chanted “Onward, Bashir!” and “We are with you, lion!” in support of his release.
