Sudan arrests opposition leader Turabi and eight others

[Alamuti Lotus]

Source: Reuters

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudanese security forces on Tuesday arrested opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi and eight other party officials after they called for a "popular revolution" if Khartoum did not reverse price rises.

Turabi's arrest comes at a politically sensitive time for the government of President Omar Hassan al Bashir, who stands to lose control over the oil-producing south which last week voted in an independence referendum.

It also comes as Tunisia grapples with fallout from the ouster of its long-time president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who fled the country on Friday after three weeks of violent unrest sparked by social grievances.

Sudan's opposition threatened on Sunday to take to the streets if the government did not remove its finance minister and dismantle parliament over the decision to raise prices on a range of goods.

Khartoum has long feared Turabi's influence, believing many of his supporters still remain in key positions of the army and security services.

Turabi is usually arrested during times of difficulty for the government, most notably after Darfur rebels launched an unprecedented attack on the capital in 2008.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110118/wl_nm/us_sudan_referendum

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Turabi supports the Islamic resistance forces in Darfur and was formerly the host of Sheikh Ussamah bin Laden in Sudan before both fell out of favor with General Bashir. He is basically "the usual suspect" that is rounded up and questioned whenever something bad happens for the government.