Opposition leader interrogated about critique on Sudan’s NISS

The Sudanese security service arrested and interrogated one of the leaders of the Popular Congress Party in Atbara in River Nile state on Thursday.

Ismail Faraj Allah was detained for five hours and released late Thursday night, he informed Radio Dabanga today. He was questioned about articles he wrote, criticising the leaders of the security service (NISS) who have publicly rejected a reduction of the powers of the NISS in draft constitutional amendments.

In his articles Faraj Allah considered that the NISS should not be allowed to make demands to the parliamentary committee and those tasked with drafting and reviewing the amendments.

He was summoned to appear at the headquarters of the NISS again on Friday morning, he said. “I was threatened and insulted by security agents.”

The Popular Congress Party participates as one of the Sudanese opposition parties in the National Dialogue with the Sudanese ruling party, government and former rebel movements. Its leadership threatened to withdraw from the dialogue in the event that no amendments are made to the Sudanese constitution concerning freedoms of the people.

The draft constitutional amendments would reduce the powers of the intelligence service and restrict them to the collection and analysis of information only, upon which NISS officials demanded that the texts of the law and legislation should ensure granting wider powers to the security apparatus.