Committee called on to resolve Sudan dispute

The leader of the Sudanese opposition Umma Party,  Sadiq Al-Mahdi, has called for the formation of a national committee of "wise men" to resolve issues between Sudan and its new neighbour the South. Sadiq Al-Mahdi warned against the repercussions of Khartoum’s decision to stop exporting oil to the South, pointing out that it could lead the government of Juba to take the decision to keep Sudan's livestock from entering its territories in search of pasture and water. Mahdi, who began a visit heading a delegation of his party to South Darfur on Thursday, also called for a complete solution to the Darfur crisis, considerin paying compensation to the affected in addition to enabling the civil administration and leadership to practice their roles in the communities. He also pointed out the necessity of the coordination between political powers in Darfur to reach a final solution to the crisis. Delegation member, Mariam Sadiq Mahdi, has asked Khartoum and Juba toresolve their disputes quickly as to not affect the best interest of the innocent citizens, elaborating in her statement in Al-Duaeyn that the states bordering the South should not pay the price for political disputes, as they are familiar and are known to overlap commercially and economically. The governor of South Darfur, Abdel Hamid Mousa Kasha, lauded the Mahdi's patriotism saying that “Darfur expects more of his positive contributions”. Eyewitnesses confirmed to ‘Arabstoday’ that Mahdi was received in South Darfur by a remarkable crowd, however the visit has shown signs of decline in the popularity of the Umma Party in its traditional areas of influence in Darfur.