Senior Sudan opposition figure freed after one month

Khartoum (AFP) - A senior Sudanese opposition figure said she was freed without charge Tuesday after being held for a month over talks her party held with rebels.

Mariam al-Mahdi, deputy leader of the Umma Party led by her father, Sadiq, spoke to reporters hours after the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) freed her.

"They only told me that we communicated with armed groups and this is something illegal. They said they cannot allow us to do such a thing," she said.

Security agents arrested her August 12 when she arrived at Khartoum airport after talks in Paris between Umma and the Sudan Revolutionary Front, an alliance of anti-regime movements from Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

At that meeting, Sadiq al-Mahdi signed a deal with SRF chairman Malik Agar to work together to solve Sudan's crises, although Umma supports non-violent change.

He has not returned to Sudan since then.

"We are trying to bring all Sudanese with different views to the table to find a solution to Sudan's problems," Mariam al-Mahdi said.

In May, Sadiq al-Mahdi himself was detained by NISS, spending a month in custody.

His case sparked concern from Western governments and raised questions about the regime's commitment to a "national dialogue" aimed at resolving the impoverished, war-ravaged country's problems.

President Omar al-Bashir, who ousted Sadiq al-Mahdi in an Islamist-backed coup 25 years ago, appealed in January for a broad political dialogue, to include ethnic insurgents.

But Mariam al-Mahdi said the ruling National Congress Party "have to admit that they have buried their national dialogue."

Umma, which the government was keen to engage, participated in the preliminary meetings, but pulled out after Sadiq al-Mahdi was arrested.

In July, Bashir told other political parties "the atmosphere of freedoms... within the national dialogue is guaranteed and represents an irrevocable national, ethical and political commitment," the official SUNA news agency reported.

European Union Ambassador Tomas Ulicny said Mariam al-Mahdi's release "is significant in generating impetus in the delayed national dialogue."

He called in a statement for other political prisoners to be freed, notably Sudanese Congress Party chief Ibrahim al-Sheikh, who has been held for three months.

"This is necessary to create a conducive environment and trust-building measures between all the Sudanese parties to achieve reconciliation, durable peace, democratic transformation and protection of human rights in Sudan," Ulicny said.