Sudanese Congress Party official detained in Khartoum

Security agents detained a prominent member of the Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) in Khartoum on Wednesday.

The party reported in a press statement that agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) raided the home of Khaled Omar Yousef, foreign affairs assistant to the SCP chairman, in El Jireif district early om Wednesday.

“They did not have an arrest warrant, nor did they provide a reason,” he said. “They just took him with them to an unknown destination.”

The statement, signed by Abubakar Yousef, the spokesman for the party, said that the SCP will continue its public protest activities against the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

“The detention of Yousef is just one of the crimes committed by the NCP, and reinforces our conviction that we have to continue with our campaign to overthrow the corrupt repressive regime.”

On 6 July, the SCP's political secretary and two other party members were  flogged in front of the Omdurman Criminal Court, immediately after having been convicted of disturbing the public order. The three were detained on 28 April at Soug Libya in Omdurman during a public rally in which they openly criticised the policies of the NCP.

Last year, the NISS detained the head of the party, Ibrahim El Sheikh, for three months.

He was charged with undermining the constitutional order, opposing military actions, calling for armed opposition, publication of false news, and disturbing public peace.

According to the charges, he humiliated the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by the NISS, at a symposium by calling them “Janjaweed with no religion or ethics, raping women, abusing and killing civilians”.

El Sheikh was released on 15 September, after the attorney general of El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan, withdrew the case against him.