Sudan security bars Darfur lawyer from travel

Security forces prevented Mohamed Abdallah El Doma, chairman of the Darfur Bar Association (DBA), from travelling from Khartoum airport on Thursday, on the grounds that he is listed as a person restricted from travelling outside of Sudan. The chairman of the lawyers’ association told Radio Dabanga that he was prevented from flying to Nairobi yesterday morning. El Doma had completed all the procedures at the airport when elements of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) told him that their superior issued orders restricting him from travelling. The chairman posed “a security threat”, the same argument that was used against him to prevent him from travelling on 6 August, El Doma said. “This measure is an assault on the constitutional rights. I will not tolerate this abuse,” he said, stressing that the main reason behind his travel ban is that he comes from the Darfur region. El Doma added that he will take the matter to the court and to regional and international human rights organisations. File photo: Khartoum airport (Airliners.net)