Sudan public prosecutors call for Attorney General to be sacked

Sudan’s Public Prosecutors Association began a three-day strike on Tuesday demanding that Attorney General Tajelsir El Hibir be replaced. They accuse him of “committing grave breaches that amount to criminal offenses”, and say that they will take further steps, if their demands are not met.

The strike follows El Hibir’s order last week for the suspension and detention of a number of public prosecutors from work after they submitted a memorandum to the Sovereign Council directly, in which they accuse El Hibir of committing several violations, demanding his dismissal or resignation. The A-G also referred them to an accountability board.

On Monday, the Khartoum Court of Appeal, headed by Judge Badawi Abdelbagi, ordered a stop to the implementation of the attorney general’s decision to suspend the prosecutors until the case filed against El Hibir himself is decided.

At a press conference in Khartoum, the association explained that the detained prosecutors were dealing with the most important prosecution files, such as the case against the perpetrators of the 1989 military coup, and among others the case of Hanafi Abdelshakour, who died after his skull was crushed under the wheels of a pickup truck during the violent dismantling of the sit-in in front of the army command in Khartoum on June 3, also known as the Ramadan 29 massacre, that resulted in at least 127 deaths.

Prosecutor Mohamed Dirar accused the Attorney General that with the exception of those involved in the military coup of 1989 that brought Omar Al Bashir to power, none of the symbols of the former regime have been brought to trial.

The A-G is also accused of committing violations and transgressions by releasing the former governor of South Darfur, Adam El Faki, a Turkish businessman, and neglecting fraud cases like those of the former Khartoum Governor Abdelrahman El Khidir, and the River Transport Company, whose assets, owned by officials of the former regime, were seized by Sudan’s Anti-Corruption Committee in April.

The prosecutors further accuse El Hibir of forgery, conflict of interests, and concealment of facts. “Complaints of protestors killed or abused during the revolution are locked up in drawers, and have been nearly forgotten.”

Radio Dabanga’s editorial independence means that we can continue to provide factual updates about political developments to Sudanese and international actors, educate people about how to avoid outbreaks of infectious diseases, and provide a window to the world for those in all corners of Sudan. Support Radio Dabanga for as little as €2.50, the equivalent of a cup of coffee.