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After decades of intense divisions, the Sudanese political opposition has recently united to form a powerful three-part bloc, which has been part of the wave of protest that toppled autocrat Omar al-Bashir last week.
Under the reign of three decades of Bashir's political repression, Sudan had about a hundred political parties. They ranged from Islamists to leftists and went from ardent critics to regime loyalists.
A transitional military council is now in place to lead the country for the next two years.
Veteran journalist Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh, 91, outlined the political trajectories of the nascent opposition movement for AFP.
Who is the Sudanese opposition?
"The opposition in Sudan is now composed of Nidaa Sudan (based in Paris), national consensus forces and the Sudanese Professionals' Association," said Saleh, who was jailed several times during the reign of Bashir.
Collectively, the tripartite bloc is known as the Alliance for Freedom and Change.
Nidaa Sudan includes the Umma party, the Sudanese Congress party as well as armed movements such as the Sudan People's Liberation Movement.
The Umma party is headed by Oxford-educated Sadiq al-Mahdi, who was prime minister twice in the 1960s and 1980s and was ousted by the 1989 Bashir coup.
He returned to Sudan this year after a year of self-imposed exile in Cairo.
At the same time, the "more radical" Sudanese Communist Party and the Ba'ath Party, along with other leftist rallies, form the forces of national consensus.
Finally, the Association of Sudanese Professionals (ASP) is made up of small political cadres, most of them young urbanites, including academics, doctors and engineers.
They have been the driving force behind the mobilization of thousands of protesters via their intelligent and active use of social media to demonstrate against Bashir since December 18.
The SPA called on the Transitional Military Council to "immediately pbad the baton" to a civilian administration and urged protesters to continue their sit-ins.
What is the strength of the opposition now?
Protesters camped for weeks in front of major government buildings across the country.
Saleh says the opposition bloc has been the most consistent and organized in its efforts to achieve tangible political change.
"For four months, these people have not feared to put their bodies in danger," he said.
More than 30 protesters have been killed in clashes with security forces since the uprising erupted.
The bloc has asked the next transitional government to arrest Bashir and a group of personalities from the ruling political elite since the 1989 coup.
These include the powerful heads of security and intelligence and the leaders of the Bashir National Congress Party.
"All the different parties that make up the opposition will now unite, resolve their differences and learn from their previous mistakes at this crucial moment," he added.
"But when things return to their natural state, political quarrels and factional struggles will finally emerge."
What about Islamists and the diaspora?
"The Islamists will not disappear from the scene but will not be as influential, especially with the end of the National Congress Party," said the renowned journalist.
He told AFP that other Islamist solutions opposed to NCP policies were a pillar of Sudanese politics and that they would continue to survive in one form or another.
The People's Congress party, led by extremist ideological figure Hbadan al-Turabi, is the most prominent Islamist movement that still has the most supporters.
With opposition in the diaspora – particularly in London and Paris where the exiles were politically active – Saleh sees them as playing a pivotal role in the future.
About five million Sudanese live abroad, mainly in the Middle East, Europe and North America.
"All these opposition movements have their supporters abroad … they represent a mbad of human resources that can be counted on to form a civilian government," Saleh said.
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