Bashir resigns from chairmanship of Sudan ruling party

<p>By Mohammed Amin </p> <p>KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – President Omar al-Bashir has stepped down from the chairmanship of Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP), the party said in a Friday statement. </p> <p>The move was announced after a lengthy meeting of the party’s political bureau, which wrapped up early Friday morning.<br> </p> <p>According to the statement, Ahmed Haroun, a former governor of Sudan’s South Kordofan State, will serve as acting chairman until a permanent party chief is appointed at the NCP’s next general congress.<br> </p> <p>“The party has accepted the president’s decision to transfer his responsibilities as NCP leader to his deputy, Ahmed Haroun,” the statement read.</p> <p>“We believe this initiative… will contribute to the country’s security and stability,” it added.</p> <p>Haroun served as governor of South Kordofan until 2014. Before that, he had served as humanitarian affairs minister and as a minister of state in Sudan’s Interior Ministry. </p> <p>In 2007, Haroun was indicted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s Darfur region.</p>