The power struggle within Sudan’s National Umma Party (NUP) deepened as acting leader Fadlallah Burma Nasir rejected attempts to remove him and dissolved the Presidential Institution that had initiated his ousting.
This conflict has intensified over a controversial agreement signed by Burma Nasir with groups aligned with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which proposed the formation of a parallel Government.
The dispute erupted on Monday evening when the NUP’s Presidential Institution withdrew confidence from Burma Nasir, citing his involvement in signing a founding charter with armed, political, and civil groups. This charter advocates for a secular state and the right to self-determination should secularism not be included in the national constitution. In response, Burma Nasir dismissed the institution’s decision, asserting that it violated the party’s constitution and did not represent the proper authority.
Amid growing tensions, Mohamed Al-Mahdi Hassan, head of the Political Bureau, preemptively declared the decision to remove Burma Nasir as illegitimate, maintaining that only the Political Bureau had the constitutional power to appoint or dismiss the party leader. A group within the party, known as “Leaders and Cadres of the National Umma Party,” labelled the attempt to withdraw confidence as a coup, accusing a faction linked to the former regime of undermining the party’s constitutional integrity. This deepening rift threatens the unity of the NUP, a long-established political force in Sudan.