Port Sudan: NISS detain 13-year-old boy as hostage

The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) in Port Sudan investigating participants in the water protests last week have detained a 13-year-old child as a hostage to pressure the family to hand-over his brother.

The brother was detained during the demonstrations that started in Port Sudan last week because of the continuing water crisis in the city.

Sources close to the family told Radio Dabanga that 13-year-old Munzir El Amin Hasan was detained since Eid El Fitir. The family was forced to hand over his elder brother Mazin to the security services in order to release the boy.

New human rights violations

The security apparatus' detention of children as hostages seems to be a new form of human rights violations.

Wide sectors in the Red Sea state expressed deep disapproval of the detention of the boy as a hostage and described it as contrary to the law, the Constitution and the morals, the values and the customs of Sudan.

They demanded the release of all those detained during recent demonstrations.

The shortage of fuel and resulting water and electricity shortages have sparked protests across Sudan over recent weeks.