Sudan faces uncertain future as it goes to the polls

Sudan's elections have been billed as the first multi-party polls since 1986. But only minor opposition parties will be standing against President Omar al-Bashir and his party in the north. This after the Umma Party's pull-out and the announcement by the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) - the main political force in Southern Sudan - that it would only contest the south.  The boycott, which comes after allegations of vote rigging, means al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide, is almost certain to win the presidential poll.