Sudan Congress Party President banned from travelling to Sudan Call Paris meetings

The security services banned the President of the Sudanese Congress Party and prominent member of the Sudan Call coalition leadership Omar El Degeir, from travelling to Paris and confiscated his passport.

Khalid Omar Yousef, the Secretary General of the party told Radio Dabanga that agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) at Khartoum airport informed El Degeir of his travel ban as he prepared to depart to attend the meetings of the Sudan Call launched yesterday in the French capital Paris to be concluded on Sunday.

The forces of the Sudan Call (also referred to as Sudan Appeal) are seeking an equal political process that would bring about a just peace, democracy and citizenship without discrimination, this along with the elimination of empowerment and the restoration of the state of the homeland rather than the state of the party.

In March this year the Call also convened in the French capital. They agreed on mobilising the people in Sudan for a popular uprising. Following these meetings, the Sudanese security apparatus has responded to threats of legal action against the alliance made by Sudan’s President Omar Al Bashir.

In April, the State Security Prosecution service instructed that a complaint be filed against Imam El Sadig El Mahdi, the newly-elected chairman of the opposition Sudan Call alliance and head of the National Umma Party (NUP) “for dealing and coordinating with rebel armed movements to overthrow the regime.”

Khalid considered the move as part of the government’s efforts to put obstacles to the alliance of Sudan Call and act to break up its unity.

Lawyer held on return to Sudan

On Friday morning, the security authorities held lawyer Abdallah El Doma, the chairman of the Darfur Bar Association and co-president of the Umma National Party at the airport and confiscated a passport.

The Darfur Bar Association said in a statement that El Doma was returning from the USA after attending a ceremony honouring Abdelrahman Al Gasim, the secretary of foreign relations of the Bar Association, who won the American Bar Association for Human Rights in Chicago, held at the airport for a short time before releasing his passport.

The association announced its intent to sue the NISS.

Travel bans

Civil society activist Jalila Khamis was barred on Wednesday from travelling from Khartoum Airport to Cairo, under the pretext that she has been permanently banned from travelling abroad. She told Radio Dabanga that the NISS notified her on Wednesday that, in conjunction with her travel dates, she was suspected of being related to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) armed movement.

Earlier this month, Secretary-General of the opposition National Umma Party Sarah Nugdallah was barred from leaving Sudan and her passport was also confiscated. She had been prevented from travelling in May, too.