South Kordofan family detained for ‘rebel ties’

Five family members have been held under arrest by a group of Sudanese Military Intelligence in South Kordofan for the last two weeks. All of them are accused of associating with the rebel SPLM-N, including a 17-year-old boy.

Twenty-four Military Intelligence (M.I.) members arrived at the house of a family of cattle keepers in Elfaid Um Abdalla. The M.I. were searching for the family's son, Mukhtar Badawi Adam Shaheer (18 years). The researchers of the Human Rights and Development Organisation (HUDO) reported that the father replied that Mukhtar was letting cattle graze in a nearby village.

“Immediately, they started beating Mukhtar (18), Elsheikh (17), Hassan (23) and Alhasab (34) then they tied all of them and put them in the vehicles. Mukhtar was injured in his face. The MI soldiers drove the detainees around the village market showing them to people and soon after they took them to Abu Kershola MI office (50 km north of Elfaid Um Abdalla).”

The uncle of the detainees, Abdu Elhasab Mohamed Shaheer, went to the MI office the next day for a visit, but was denied access. “On 4 October 2017 the father, Eldaw Elkhairi (52), went with his son to the office, which also did not result in a visit to the detainees. “Adam (the son) was slapped and arrested by MI soldiers who said that “he is also a SPLM-N member and we need him”. Then other M.I. soldiers tied Adam and chased the father out.”

HUDO said it received reliable information that the detainees were transferred to El Obeid in North Kordufan in MI custody, except Adam who is still held at Abu Kershola. All of them are reportedly detained in bad conditions, with no access to family visits or lawyers.

The organisation called upon the Sudanese government to allow for these visits and hold M.I. members accountable for bad treatment of detainees. In addition the government should lift the state of emergency imposed on the country's areas of conflict.

In the beginning of September, a similar report appeared about a man and his wife accused of spying, who had been held in detention for a month. The arrest happened against the backdrop of their moving from territory of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) to governmental territory in South Kordofan.