Sudanese opposition demands release of suspects in petroleum pipeline explosion

The followers of Sudanese opposition leader al-Sadeq al-Mahdi called on the Sudanese government to release the persons who were detained following the explosion of a petroleum pipeline north of Khartoum and denied that their leader welcomed the pipe's explosion.

Meanwhile, the followers of al-Sadeq al-Mahdi denounced the Sudanese government and accused it of detaining the followers' youth, including Othman Abu El-Kasem who was detained in Omdorman and transferred to Atbar city in northern Sudan.

The secretary of the followers organization said, "We presented a note to the governor of River Nile state to release Othman Abu El-Kasem or present him for a trial," adding, "I am still on my opinion that the incident of exploding the petroleum pipeline is bad criminal work, but I see that the government gave the accident a stature greater than it is worth in an attempt to torment its opposition."