Sudan court prepares murder charges against Al Bashir and NISS chief Gosh

The Public Prosecutor in Omdurman has issued an arrest warrant for former National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) chief Salah Abdallah, aka Salah Gosh, on charges of first degree murder.

The prosecution is preparing charges against ousted president Omar Al Bashir and the former chief of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) under Article 130 of Sudanese criminal law. Al Bashir, who is currently being detained in Kober Prison, is already on trial on corruption charges.

Wajdi Salih, a spokesman for Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) told El Tayyar newspaper that “we will hold officials of the former regime accountable, including Gosh”.

“The case they have brought against Salah Gosh and the ousted president is about the unlawful killing of Salah Abdelwahab,” Salih said.

In May, NISS security agents charged with guarding the house of Gosh confronted a police force headed by a Brigadier under the supervision of the Public Prosecution, who were attempting to execute a warrant to arrest Gosh on charges of suspicious illegal ownership of wealth, and to search his home.

According to the statement, the NISS agents justified the refusal saying that “instructions were not issued”. They then directed a vehicle mounted with a Dushka machinegun towards the vehicle of prosecutors, and threatened to shoot at them.

Sudan’s ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) referred 98 senior officers of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), including Salah Gosh, to retirement in June.

NISS becomes GIS

In end July, the TMC decided to reform Sudan's infamous security apparatus, to adjust its competences, and to change its name to the General Intelligence Service (GIS).

The Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported on July 29 that TMC chairman Abdelfattah El Burhan issued a constitutional decree to amend several articles of the National National Security Act of 2010, in order to restructure the NISS. The new intelligence service is reportedly no longer authorised to detain people or carry out search operations.

“The amendment stipulated in the constitutional decree comes within the framework of restructuring the security apparatus, to cope with the political change in the country,” Director of the GIS, Gen Abubakir Dambalab, said.

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