Deep Divisions in Sudan’s Historic Umma Party Erupt Over Talks With PM

Sudan's PM poses with a NUP delegation led by its acting leader Mohamed al-Douma in Port Sudan on July 8, 2025 (SUNA photo)

July 8, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Deep divisions within Sudan’s historic Umma National Party erupted into the open on Tuesday after a faction of the party met with the prime minister in Port Sudan, drawing condemnation from other party leaders.

The event highlighted the severe fragmentation of the party, which has struggled with an organizational crisis since the country’s conflict began. One acting leader, Fadlalla Burma Nasir, has previously backed a parallel government initiative by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while other leaders support the army. Some members have aligned with the “Somoud” organization, which calls for an end to the war.

According to the state news agency SUNA, Prime Minister Kamil Idris held an “expanded meeting” with a delegation led by Acting Party Head Mohamed Abdallah al-Douma, who has been appointed after Burma’s alliance with the RSF paramilitary forces. The delegation reportedly included state chapter heads and representatives from youth, women’s, and pro-army Popular Resistance groups.

SUNA reported that the prime minister welcomed the party’s initiative to “unify the national front” and that the meeting discussed supporting the armed forces to achieve victory and backing the government’s transitional plans.

Senior party figures, however, rejected the meeting and questioned the legitimacy of Idris’s government.

“The delegation that met the prime minister hijacked the party’s voice, and this requires accountability,” prominent leader Zeinab al-Mahdi told Sudan Tribune. She described the Port Sudan government as “illegitimate because it is based on only a part of Sudan’s territory and excludes regions and groups.”

She called the meeting part of a “series of mobilizations by totalitarian forces” and an “opportunistic convergence of those who lack legitimacy and those who seek power.”

Another leading figure, Orwa al-Sadiq, told Sudan Tribune the vision presented by the delegation was an “illegitimate effort that will be met with nothing but disregard or resistance from the party’s base.”

The public feud follows a warning issued by the party’s General Secretariat on Monday against groups speaking on behalf of the party without official or constitutional authority.

The pushback also came from regional branches. The party’s chapter in the River Nile state called the meeting an “unprecedented act outside the institutional framework”. It announced it had suspended the member who attended, noting he had already been replaced in his local leadership role.