Sudan’s Unionist Alliance condemns arbitrary arrest of two of its members

January 30, 2024 (AL-DINDER) – The Unionist Alliance, one of the parties that make up the Forces of Freedom and Change coalition, said that the Sudanese military intelligence arrested two members of the party among dozens of activists and political actors in Sennar State.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Alliance said that a military intelligence force in the Dinder locality of Sennar state arrested party member Sharaf al-Din Sheikh al-Taj from his home last Sunday, as part of a series of political arrests that affected more than 30 political actors, human rights activists, humanitarian workers, and members of the Resistance Committees and Emergency Committees in Dinder.

The statement indicated that al-Taj was being held in custody in the 17th Infantry Division of Sinja and his family was not allowed to communicate with him or check on his safety.

The statement also clarified that party member Bakri Mohamed Nurel-Diem has been detained for more than 120 days unlawfully, since the first of last October.

The statement added that Nurel-Diem was arrested from his workplace in Al-Ma’iliq Market and was detained in the First Infantry Division in Wad Medani without anyone from his family being allowed to visit him at that time. Also, there has been no information about his whereabouts for months.

The anti-war party expressed its concern and the concern of his family, wife and children for his safety.

The Unionist Alliance renewed its condemnation of these arbitrary arrests and attempts to silence voices and confiscate freedom of expression. The statement held the Military Intelligence fully responsible for these illegal arrests under Sudanese criminal law because they are carried out without any legal justification that gives the intelligence the authority to arrest.

These arrests come within the framework of a wide campaign of arrests launched by regular forces, especially military intelligence affiliated with the army, against politicians, activists, and members of resistance committees.

In a separate statement last Sunday, the pro-democracy group reported that a special force affiliated with the army arrested members of the party in North Kordofan state, Saif al-Dawla Ahmed Khalil and Rifaat Abdel Aziz.

According to the statement, the arrests campaign in the city of Bara of North Kordofan included other activists in the Resistance Committees, the Change And Services Committees, and the Teachers’ Committee.