Three JEM leaders captured, moved from Geneina to Khartoum

The security authorities of the city of El Geneina transferred three Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) prisoners to detention centers of the security apparatus in Khartoum. The prisoners are Ibraham Almaz, Vice President of the Justice and Equality Movement, and As-Sir Jibril Tiya, a political adviser to the JEM president, and Mahjoub Ezz Al-Arab, secretary for organization and management of the Darfur movement.The transfer comes three days after their capture in West Darfur along with four other members of the movement. The Justice and Equality Movement said the arrest of the three leaders was part of a plot against them by the Awlad Zeid section the Mahamid tribe.

According to Abubakr Hamid Nur, JEM Secretary of Administration and Management, the three leaders were traveling in two vehicles and lost their way. They ended up near the settlement of the Awlad Zeid. He explained on Radio Dabanga that the people of settlement, particularly a man Abdullah Habu, along with another man from the same family, welcomed the JEM leaders. The Awlad Zeid tribesmen provided them with food and drink and assured their guests that they were safe while they were with them at the settlement. Meanwhile, Abdullah Habu and his group sent word to the government which arrested them and took them to El Geneina.

The captured JEM leaders were severely tortured, Abubakr Nur said. He said that Ibrahim Almaz, deputy head of the movement, had his hand broken from beating in El Geneina.

Abubakr called on the government to treat the movement’s leaders as prisoners of war and not subject them to any torture. He also condemned the Awlad Zeid’s decision to hand over the leaders to the government after welcoming them as guests.