Sudan: Reports of torture in South Darfur, South Kordofan

A pharmacy worker was reportedly tortured to death in Gireida in South Darfur. His body has been transferred to a hospital in the state’s capital of Nyala for autopsy. Students in Delling in South Kordofan have reportedly been tortured by security officers.

Pharmacy employee Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed was detained by agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) last Monday, together with five other employees of the Gireida Hospital. They were accused of illegaly selling medicines from the hospital’s pharmacy.

On Friday, Ahmed’s body was transported from the NISS offices to Gireida Hospital. His relatives however refused to receive the body for the funeral, an activist reported to Radio Dabanga.

“Because it was evident that he died as a result of torture, his family requested an autopsy. The body was then moved to the Turkish Hospital in Nyala,” he said. “A forensic doctor will soon arrive from Khartoum to do the autopsy.”

The family has filed a complaint to the Commissioner of Gireida about the practices of the security apparatus. They have demanded the authorities to prosecute the killers of Ahmed, and the removal of the NISS from the locality.

Delling

According to students of the University of Delling in the northern part of South Kordofan, NISS officers have detained 54 fellow students from the university campus. 68 others have been arrested by the police.

The students were held after they set fire to university buildings on Friday, in protest against the killing of two of their colleagues by an army soldier the day before. The soldier entered the campus with a gun hidden underneath his clothes, and began to shoot at the students. Two were hit and died instantly. The shooter then committed suicide.

After the incident, the university was closed for an indefinite period of time. Students residing in the university’s boarding house were expelled.

“They spread to the neighbourhoods, and are living in a dire situation,” a student reported. “Others who decided to return to their homes in other states were persecuted by security agents, even in the buses.“

He said that the students detained by NISS agents suffered “various sorts of torture”.

The 68 students held in police custody face charges related to sabotage, damage of state buildings, and public nuisance.