Women protest party leaders’ detention in Sudan’s West Kordofan

On Wednesday, women in En Nahud, West Kordofan, staged a demonstration in protest against the continued detention of Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) leaders. Bakri Yousif, the spokesman for the party, told Radio Dabanga that the demonstration was organised by the Women Secretariat of the SCP En Nahud branch. “Large numbers of women marched through the market of El Nahud to the prison buildings. They called for the immediate release of SCP President Ibrahim El Sheikh, held in En Nahud, and the other party leaders, detained in El Obeid, El Fula, and Bara.” On Sunday, the security authorities renewed the detention of three SCP leaders, held in En Nahud and El Fula, West Kordofan, for a period of six months. Three other SCP cadres are detained in Bara prison. Five student members and El Jareeda journalist Hassan Ishag, detained in En Nahud on 10 June, have been transferred to the prison of North Kordofan’s capital El Obeid. On Sunday, the wife of SCP president Ibrahim El Sheik, who was taken by security forces from his home in En Nahud on 8 June, told Radio Dabanga that his health condition is worsening. “He is suffering from high blood pressure, as he is not allowed to take the prescribed medicines.” The SCP chairman has been charged with undermining the Sudanese Constitution after he had publicly denounced the widespread attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on civilians in Darfur and Kordofan.News photo: Women protesting in En Nahud, 16 July 2014 (Radio Dabanga correspondent)Related:Detention renewed for party members in West Kordofan (16 July 2014) West Kordofan: Detained party leader’s health deteriorating (14 July 2014)