22/11/2022: Reuters - Political veteran returns to Sudan opposing plan for military exit

Reuters report that the veteran leader of the mainstream Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani, arrived in Khartoum on a flight laid on by Egyptian president Abdulfattah al-Sisi to throw his clout against a possible agreement between pro-democracy groups and the military.

As the party of the large Khatmiya Sufi sect, the DUP is one of Sudan’s most significant blocs and has a strong support base in rural Sudan. However, it has been embroiled in a struggle between al-Mirghani's two sons - Jaafer who has aligned with rebel groups opposed to the deal, and Elhassan who has supported it.

Three DUP sources told Reuters that al-Mirghani's return aimed to end the dispute in favour of Jaafer and against the deal. The DUP, which at its founding supported maintaining unity with Egypt following Sudan's independence in 1956, has close ties to Egyptian authorities.