Sudan: Nuba activist beaten by MI officers in South Kordofan

A Nuba activist was beaten-up by members of the Military Intelligence in Abu Jubeiha, South Kordofan, on Wednesday.

El Sheikh Mohamedein, member of the Comprehensive Peace Forces Association, told Radio Dabanga that they preparing the launch of a political seminar on Freedom Square in Abu Jubeiha yesterday, when a military force in six vehicles prevented them.

“They ordered us to stop the forum, saying we did not have a permit from the General Intelligence Service (GIS)* nor from the Abu Jubeiha military garrison,” he reported.

“We explained to them that we had notified the director and the security committee of Abu Jubeiha locality, but they insisted that we need an approval from the commander of the garrison.

“When they wanted to detain us, Hozeifa Shankeran, who is a leading member of the Association, intervened. He was severely beaten.”

The Comprehensive Peace Forces Association condemned the action, calling it “an infringement and suppression of freedoms”.

* In late July last year, Sudan’s infamous National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) was reformed, its competences adjusted, and its name was changed to General Intelligence Service (GIS). Before July, the holding of gatherings, be it conferences, workshops, or demonstrations, were to be approved by NISS officers, who tended to refuse to issue a permit, often at the last moment. Security officers and members of the Military Intelligence in South Kordofan reportedly continue the old practices of the NISS in the state.

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