South Darfur Military Court sentences camp coordinator to prison ‘in unfair trial’

The Military Court in the South Darfur capital Nyala has sentenced the coordinator of the Kass camps for the displaced to eight years imprisonment, for ‘joining and aiding the enemy’.

On Wednesday, Col. Adel Yousef, Chief Judge of the Nyala Military Court, convicted Mohyildin El Tijani Mohamed Ibrahim, Kass camps coordinator and teacher of the El Himeira Basic School in Kass under Article 146 (1) related to ‘joining the enemy’, and Article 146/A related to ‘providing support to the enemy’.

Abdelshafee Abdallah, coordinator of the Central Darfur camps, and one of the leaders of the Darfur Displaced and Refugees Association told Radio Dabanga that “great injustice” has been done to Ibrahim. “As a civilian, he was brought to a military trial. In addition, he was convicted without a defence lawyer present.”

Abdallah further strongly denied the charges against his colleague. Ibrahim was accused of being an active member of the Sudan Liberation Movement, headed by Abdelwahid El Nur, and of possessing weapons. “Ibrahim is married, with four children, and has always exerted his efforts to improve the situation of the displaced”.

He explained that Ibrahim was held in April by officers of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) in Kass. He was transferred to various prisons in Nyala and Khartoum. After his convictions he was taken to the Korea Prison in Nyala.

The Central Darfur camps coordinator called on the Sudanese government to review the sentence against Ibrahim, and appealed to human rights organisations and lawyers, as well as Unamid to express their solidarity with him, and protest the unfair trial and conviction.