Opposition leader charged with treason

Sudan's state security prosecutor has charged opposition leader, Sadiq al-Mahdi, with collaborating with rebel groups to overthrow President Omar al-Bashir’s regime. A report on the News24 site notes that Bashir, backed by Islamists, toppled Mahdi's civilian government in a 1989 coup after which the former Prime Minister's Umma Party regularly campaigned against the policies of Bashir's government. ‘Sudan state security prosecutor has filed a criminal case against Sadiq al-Mahdi for collaborating with rebel groups for overthrowing the regime (of Bashir),’ said a report published by the Sudan Media Centre. The charges against Mahdi, some of which are punishable by death, were filed following a complaint made by Sudan's powerful National Intelligence and Security Service.