Sudan arrests opposition leader al-Mahdi, could face death penalty

Sudanese opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi was arrested on Saturday on charges that could lead to the death penalty, a government official said, a move that could hurt efforts to ease political tensions before elections due next year.
Al-Mahdi, a former prime minister in Sudan's last elected civilian government, is the head of the Umma Party, the most prominent party opposing President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who ousted him in 1989.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/17/us-sudan-opposition-idUSBREA4G08220140517