Eritrea and the Sudan reestablished diplomatic relations. Meanwhile, Hassan al-Turabi rejected Qatari mediation of Sudan's political crisis. While it's still too iffy to predict a civil war in Khartoum (between the Beshir and Turabi factions) Sudan's neighbors and its Arab friends recognize this is possible. Who would benefit? The SPLA in southern Sudan. On January 6 the SPLA and the various southern Sudanese political organizations issued a demand for "self-determination." Interestingly, several analysts believe the southerners would favor Beshir over Turabi. Turabi styles himself as an Iranian-type radical Islamist.