‘No suspension of case against Abu Eisa, Madani’: Sudan Justice Minister

The Sudanese Minister of Justice today announced that he will not accept a cessation of criminal proceedings against opposition leaders, Faroug Abu Eisa and Dr Amin Mekki Madani.

Justice Minister Mohamed Bushara Dosa stated that “the public interest requires the proceedings against the accused to be continued. The criminal charges cannot be lifted in this case, as it concerns matters that are connected with the security, safety, and stability of the country”.

The decision came in reply to the request made by the defence team, headed by Omar Abdelaati, to withdraw the charges. The minister announced that he will refer the criminal case against the two opposition leaders to “a competent court”.

Faroug Abu Eisa, head of the National Consensus Forces, and Dr Amin Mekki Madani, chairman of the Civil Society Initiative, were detained by security officers in Khartoum on 6 December, a day after their return from Addis Ababa, where they had signed the Sudan Appeal, together with the Umma Party, and the allied rebel movements. 

In the communiqué, the united opposition forces call for an end to the civil wars in the country, the dismantling of the one-party system, and that Sudan is rebuild based on democratic principles and equal citizenship. The signatories agreed that if a peaceful regime change cannot be achieved by a broad national dialogue, it should be enforced by a popular uprising.

Abu Eisa and Madani were held incommunicado until 22 December, after which they were transferred to Kober Prison in Khartoum North. The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) has charged them with undermining the constitutional order, and instigating war against the state, offences that carry the death penalty or life imprisonment.