Police disperse, detain El Mahdi protesters in Sudan

Hundreds of people demonstrated in Ed Damer, the capital of River Nile state, against the detention of Imam El Sadig El Mahdi, head of the National Umma Party (NUP), on Tuesday. The police forces used batons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) also detained Abdellah Ahmed Saad, the Deputy of the Ansar Affairs Association, which is the religious wing of the Umma Party in River Nile.Others detained include: Ahmed Mohamed Ali , Director of the Ansar Affairs Association in River Nile; Hani Izeldin, Chairman of the student Umma Party in River Nile; Mahdi Mohamed Haj Saeed, Chairman of communication in the River Nile Umma Party; and Mohamed Abdel Hafiz, one of the leaders of the Umma Party in River Nile. Memorandum for the GovernorSpeaking to Radio Dabanga, Taha Ahmed Saad, NUP Chairman in the River Nile State, explained that the aim of the demonstration was to hand over a memorandum to the state Governor, in which they condemn the arrest of El Sadig El Mahdi. “In the memorandum, we also strongly emphasise that what El Mahdi said about the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces committing crimes against the people in Darfur and Nuba Mountains, for which he now is convicted, is true.” The Ansar Affairs Association, the body of followers of Imam El Sadig El Mahdi, has been mobilising its supporters in Sudan for peaceful protests against the detention of the imam. El Mahdi was detained on Saturday evening and taken to Khartoum North’s Kober prison. The NISS accuses the Umma Party leader of “disrespecting the prestige of the state, discrediting the regular armed forces, inciting the international community against Sudan”, and spreading false news, “causing unrest among the regular troops, and breaching public peace”. News photo taken during the demonstration in Ed Damer, 27 May 2014. Related: Arrested Umma party leader wishes fair trial in Sudan (27 May 2014)