In the ‘one to watch’ category, is a meeting that took place in Khartoum last week of a new governmental body called the National Security Consultancy Commission. The Sudan Tribune reports Bashir saying that the commission’s work is “to develop its work and seal coordination among them [the existing security agencies]”. The first meeting was attended by no lesser figures than President Bashir, the current head of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) and the head of Defense, and the Commission’s head- Saleh Gosh.
Gosh was unexpectedly (and without public justification) moved from his position as head of Sudan’s all-powerful NISS when I was last in Khartoum. At that stage speculation was rife that Gosh had been challenging Bashir for the Presidency and that Bashir wanted to reduce the power Gosh had through his control of the NISS.
The ST article that reports on the new Commission quotes an unnamed analyst downplaying the significance of the development: “Gosh simply wants to show that he is still active in the political scene. The fact of the matter is that he has been stripped of all his powers with no role in decision making . . . Even if we were to believe that this commission is for real, it is hard to imagine that the army or police would cooperate with him.” In other words, it’s a face-saving stunt for Gosh. He may be right, but I am wary of being too quick to dismiss the development.
Two thoughts crossed my mind when I read about this. The first is that Bashir is (very sensibly from his perspective) ensuring he has his fingers on the pulse of what is happening in the no-doubt tumultuous year that lies ahead for him. The second thought – speculation really – is whether a shadow body is being set up preemptively in advance of the negotiations around legal reform of the national security services.
If – and it’s a big if – the opposition parties succeed in getting reforms through the Parliament I will be following closely the activities of this new body, which would presumably not be covered by the constraints that legal reforms might bring to the NISS.
Speak Your Mind