Vice President Ali Uthman Mohammed Taha on 23 November accused the opposition the Popular Congress Party (PCP) - headed by Hassan Turabi - of 'sparing no efforts in fanning the fire of sedition' in the western province of Darfur, which has caused the death of thousands of vulnerable citizens. 'The Popular Congress Party has to reconsider its position if it wants to preserve its status in the political arena,' Taha said. He also criticised the party's 'negative effect on the national security and the safety of society'. Sudanese state minister for humanitarian affairs Mohammed Yusuf Abdallah told reporters in Khartoum that about 120 villages were recently burned in the Zalingi area of Darfur, about 150 kilometres from the Chad border, reported Reuters. Abdallah said over 55,000 people were affected by the burnings.