Islamist parties have stayed on the sidelines during the months of nationwide protests that led to the ousting of president Omar al-Bashir.
Islamist movements are backing the army even as protesters have been pushing for transfer of power to civilian rule, in the hope it will keep sharia law in place. However, recently Islamists have been protesting, saying they would reject any deal that excludes Islamic sharia law.
Ultraconservative preacher Abdelhay Yousef, a leader of the Nusrat Al-Sharia movement, drew large crowds Friday at a mosque in the capital's southern Jabra district. The leader in his sermon championed Islamic law and to rail against the prospect of secular rule.
Buses then transported worshippers to a courtyard outside Khartoum's presidential palace where they broke their daytime fast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan before rallying against the roadmap. Tayeb Mustafa, who heads a coalition of conservative parties, said Islamists were opposed to the transition plan because it "ignored the application of Islamic law".
The protest alliance “stole the revolution in broad daylight”, said Mustafa, whose 2020 coalition brings together Islamist groups, including the Popular Congress Party, a long-time ally of Bashir.
According to analysts, Islamists' close ties to Bashir have made it difficult for them to join forces with protesters. This has also made it difficult to show allegience with their Alliance for Freedom and Change umbrella group. “It's impossible to equate a party that has always been opposed to the regime with another side that was with the regime until its fall,” said prominent Sudanese journalist Khaled Tijani.
