More opposition leaders detained in West Kordofan

Security authorities on Saturday shut down the office of the Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) in West Kordofan, and detained three party leaders. The leaders were detained during a symposium convened at SCP headquarters in En Nahud on Saturday evening, party spokesman Bakri Yousif told Radio Dabanga. “A force of security and police troops in heavily armed vehicles and tanks surrounded the SCP office on Saturday evening, and broke up the symposium being held. They closed the office, and detained Ali Mahdi El Sanusi, head of the party in En Nahud, Samia Kir Abdallah, Secretary-General, and the former Secretary-General Abdel Halim Adam Mohamed. Yousif stressed that the SCP “is not intimidated by the attack”, and will continue to organise symposia. On 8 June, the chairman of the SCP, Ibrahim El Sheikh, was taken by the security service from his home in En Nahud. He was charged with undermining the Constitution, after he had publicly denounced the widespread attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on civilians in Darfur and Kordofan. Five SCP student members and the correspondent of El Jareeda newspaper in En Nahud were taken into custody on 10 June, “precautionary, under the emergency law”. They were all tortured during their detention. On 19 June, they embarked on a hunger strike, in protest against their being held without charges. File photo: Riot police forces in En Nahud during a protest on 12 June against the detention of SCP chairman Ibrahim El Sheikh Related:Sudan’s political detainees in West Kordofan continue strike (27 June 2014) Police torture detained journalist in Sudan’s West Kordofan (13 June 2014) Protests against Sudanese Congress Party head’s detention (12 June 2014) Sudanese Congress Party members and journalist detained (11 June 2014) Sudanese Congress Party leaders detained (9 June 2014)