Mr Turabi was thrown out for personal, not ideological reasons. His former supporters still pack the cabinet. And while there may be fewer cases of detention and torture in the north, the government fiercely pursues its war against the south. Sudan may want a seat on the Security Council, but it still drops bombs on UN aircraft. The contradictions spring from the power strucure that underlies all Sudan s politics.
Power rests, as ever, in the hands of a few families in Khartoum.
They come from three small ethnic groups in northern Sudan, and are connected to certain religious sects which, in modern times, have become political parties. Politics is a game of musical chairs between and within these families as they jostle for alliances or betray one another. Other forces, such as the army, business, trade unions and students, have to be accommodated, but politics is driven by these families. Other Sudanese, wherever they come from, are pawns to be given token representation in the government. The aim of the Khartoum clique is to retain power and keep Sudan together.