Two Nuba held incommunicado for five years in Sudan: HUDO

Two people who disappeared nearly five years ago in South Kordofan have been found in a detention centre of the Military Intelligence in the state capital Kadugli.

Government employees Mousa Abdin Ali and Ibrahim Kano disappeared in Kadugli on 7 June 2011, two days after renewed fighting broke out in the Nuba Mountains.

Their whereabouts remained unknown for more than five years until recently, when both were found in very poor health in Kadugli, the Sudanese Human Rights and Development Organisation (HUDO) reported in an ‘Urgent Action’ statement on Monday.

Ali, a member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) was 38-years-old when he disappeared, Kano was 43, and not affiliated to any political party.

The HUDO Centre recently received evidence from more than two reliable sources that both men were alive, and being detained by the Kadugli Military Intelligence. Since their disappearance, they were held incommunicado, while Military Intelligence, the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), and politicians denied any knowledge about their whereabouts.

During their detention, Ali and Kano were subjected to torture and ill-treatment, the statement reads. They did not receive proper feeding or adequate health care.

Urgent appeal

With its appeal, HUDO urges those concerned to call on the Sudanese authorities to intervene for “the immediate and unconditional release of Mousa Abdin Ali and Ibrahim Kano”.

The Ministry of Justice should investigate “the illegal period they have spent in custody and make the results/report public indicating who is responsible”.

HUDO further appeals to the authorities to disclose the whereabouts of many others who disappeared as well.