Doctors strike in Sudan’s Dongola against arrests

Doctors of the Dongola Specialist Hospital have started a strike in protest against the arrest of six fellow doctors.

A statement by the Sudanese Central Doctors' Committee said that paediatrician Samah Omar, assistant paediatrician Sakina Abdelkarim, general practitioners Mohamad Mirghani, Salah Ibrahim and Moiz Abdellatif and intern Dalia Fouad were detained. The reason for the detention is unknown.

The Committee conditioned the lifting of the strike with the release of the detainees.

In addition, the committee has claimed had that tear gas canisters were thrown inside the hostel for doctors in Wad Madani, the capital of El Gezira, which it considers to be “clearly targeting of doctors”.

Doctors in Sudan have united in recent weeks against the attacks on doctors, including in hospitals, during the protests against the regime of President Omar Al Bashir.

In South Darfur, doctors of the Turkish Hospital in Nyala downed their tools in solidarity with their suspended colleagues. On Wednesday morning, laboratory technicians carried out a sit-in in front of the Emergency Department of the Omdurman Teaching Hospital and El Bugaa Hospital demanding the overthrow of the regime under the leadership of Al Bashir.

As reported by Radio Dabanga in January, the Sudanese Central Doctors’ Committee announced the withdrawal of all doctors from the military and police hospitals in the country, and from the El Amal hospitals that are owned by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), in protest against the killing of peaceful demonstrators.

The doctors will also refrain from providing any medical services in hospitals established by prominent members of the ruling National Congress Party.

Students detained

Meanwhile members of El Manasir youth groups in Northern State confirmed in a statement that the security forces have continued to detain two of its members, Wadah Eisa and Ahmed El Nazeer.