292 political detainees still in Sudan prisons: activists

A long list of political detainees from Darfur has been published. Activists claim that they were not included in the presidential order to release all political detainees in Sudan because of their allegiance to the detained Sheikh Musa Hilal.

The list of 292 Darfuri detainees, prepared by activists, has been released online. Most of the detainees were arrested in North Darfur, days before and after the arrest of Sheikh Musa Hilal on November 26.

Names, locations and dates of detention are included on the list. Detainees include Haroun Mahmuod Meddekheir, Adam Ramadan Jarelnabi, Yousif Ibrahim Bakhit and Ismael El Aghbash.

In a written statement the wife of El Aghbash has appealed to human rights experts in Sudan and to the United Nations’ independent expert on human rights to Sudan, to intervene and release her husband and the other detainees.

Currently hundreds of Darfuris are still being held in detention by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) despite the order of President Omar Al Bashir to release all political detainees from the country’s prisons last week.

Kober prison in Khartoum and Port Sudan prison still hold 61 detainees of the Maaliya tribe, who have been there for more than nine months. Also in detention are seven students who are member of a pro-rebel student movement; they were arrested after organising speeches at Khartoum Bahri market last year.

Musa Hilal

In November 2017, Darfur leader Musa Hilal, former janjaweed leader and chairman of the Revolutionary Awakening Council, was arrested during an ambush in the Mesteriya area, along with his sons, brothers, and entourage, by elements of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia and was subsequently transferred to Khartoum. Hilal had refused to cooperate with the government’s campaign of disarmament and arms collection.

Last week one of the mediators between Hilal and the Sudanese government was kidnapped in Omdurman to an unknown destination. The mediator had reportedly received threats to stay away from Hilal.