Sudanese President Omar Al Beshir has said a leading opposition figure will be welcomed back home this week after more than 12 years in his exile in Egypt, state radio reported Tuesday, cited by AFP.
Ahmed Al Mirghani, a former head of Sudan's state council, is expected to return from Egypt on Thursday, along with several members of his opposition Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Khartoum newspapers said.
His brother, Mohammed Osman Al Mirghani, is chairman of the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Sudan's embassy in Cairo has been instructed to offer Ahmed Al Mirghani "all facilities required for his return as a national symbol and in recognition of his efforts for peace and reconciliation," the radio said.
Mirghani, a moderate opposition figure, was already in Egypt when Beshir took power in 1989.
Libya's minister of African unity, Ali Abdel Salam Triki, said last week during a visit to Khartoum that certain developments encouraged the return of NDA members, but he did not elaborate.
However, Sudan’s political freedom record was cited by the US as a reason for continued sanctions on the country, which is worn out by an 18-year civil war.
On Thursday, US President George W. Bush continued economic sanctions against Sudan for one year, citing "continuing concern about its record on terrorism and the prevalence of human rights violations," including slavery and restrictions on political and religious freedom – Albawaba.com
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