Al-Mahdi: Khartoum harbors extremists, interferes in neighbors' affairs

Sudanese opposition leader Sadiq Al-Mahdi yesterday urged the international community to mount pressure on the Islamic government in Khartoum to "meet the demands of the Sudanese people."

Mahdi, a former prime minister who was ousted in bloodless coup by the current Sudanese government, called for Egyptian membership in the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which is trying to broker a peaceful settlement in the Sudanese civil war,.

Mahdi told a reporter in Cairo that the ruling regime in Khartoum is "harboring extremism and interfering in neighboring countries' internal affairs."

"I think there is no hope for Sudan to restore its ties with its neighbors unless the regime stops these policies," he said, Al Ahrar daily said today.