Student activist detained in Sudan capital

Agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) detained a student of the University of Khartoum on Tuesday.

The Independent Students’ Congress (ISC) of the University of Khartoum reported in a statement on Friday that activist Nizar Siddig, a third-level student of the Faculty of Arts, was detained by security officers after leaving the university on Tuesday.

The statement did not mention the reasons for the detention. The independent students hold the NISS responsible for the safety of Siddig, and called for his “immediate release”.

The ISC further strongly condemned “the systematic targeting of the student movement”, and pointed to “the continued arrests despite the announcement by President Omar Al Bashir about the release of all political detainees.

“This is an indication of the seriousness of the government [concerning the restoration of public freedoms],” the statement reads.

Human rights

The UN Independent Expert on Human Rights in Sudan, Aristide Nononsi, will arrive in Sudan today for a 10-day visit to the country.

Dr Tareg Mubarak, the rapporteur of Sudan’s Advisory Council for Human Rights, told the government's news agency (SUNA) last week that Nononsi aims to do a follow-up on his previous recommendations to the Sudanese government – which he presented to the UN Human Rights Council at its 36th session in Geneva in September last year.

He added that Khartoum has fulfilled all its commitments to promote and improve the human rights situation in Sudan.