‘No medical care for injured Nuba farmer in custody’: HUDO

On 6 May, Sudanese army soldiers shot a Nuba farmer in Delling. Since then, he has been held incommunicado by Military Intelligence (MI) in the northern South Kordofan town, Human Rights and Development Organisation (HUDO) reported.

Farmer Hafiz Mousa El Nour (25), father of a one-month-old baby, has been held by MI for 20 days without being allowed to see his relatives, a doctor, and a lawyer.

In an Urgent Action call on Friday, the Kampala-based Sudanese HUDO states that after having visited a relative at the Hospital of Delling, El Nour was leaving Delling on his motorbike, when he was stopped at a checkpoint and shot in his right leg.

“Without delay, five soldiers of the Sudan Armed Forces put him on their pick-up vehicle and drove him to their military base. Eyewitnesses informed his family, and they went to the military base for inquiry. The soldiers confirmed his arrest to the family but denied them access,” HUDO states.

The reason for the detention is unknown. As El Nour has not been seen by a doctor, “this has created fear about his health status”.

The human rights organisation therefore calls on the Sudanese government “To allow immediate health care and a family visit for El Nour; To disclose the reason behind his arrest and allow him access his lawyers; To ensure his immediate unconditional release or run a legal procedure if found guilt; To carry out investigations about El Nour’s case, make findings public and holding accountable those responsible, [and] To stop harassing civilians.”

Agents of the MI and the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) are strictly monitoring the people’s movements in the area.

“The security service suspect people from the peripheries of Delling, in particular those who ride motorbikes, of supporting [the rebels of] the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North. For this reason, many people are arrested and tortured. HUDO Centre frequently receives field reports about such arrests,” the statement concludes.

In mid-May, MI agents raided Hajar Jawad, west of Delling. They reportedly killed a villager they were searching for, and beat everyone in the vicinity.

Earlier this month, MI imposed restrictions on the population of Delling locality concerning the purchase of basic commodities such as sugar and flour. They claim that the people are supporting the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, and smuggle these goods to rebel-hold areas.

* HUDO Centre is an independent, non-government, non-partisan and non-profit making organisation based in Kampala, Uganda. The organisation is currently monitoring the human rights situation and observing rights related court cases like religious rights and freedom of expression. The focus lies on areas of South Kordofan and Blue Nile states controlled by the Sudanese government controlled, and the displaced from the two areas. (Source: hudocentre.org)