Sudanese authorities arrest anti-war political leaders

January 1, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – Military Intelligence in Sudan apprehended the head of the Nasserist Party, Sattea al-Haj, on Monday. This arrest coincides with the detention of two leaders of the Sudanese Congress Party.

These arrests fall under a broader pattern of mass detentions initiated by Sudanese military authorities over the past month, targeting members of resistance committees, prominent figures opposing the war, and volunteers providing emergency services.

A statement released by the Democratic Alliance of Lawyers revealed that Military Intelligence apprehended al-Haj upon his arrival in Port Sudan from Madani, Al-Jazira State. The alliance held the military intelligence services accountable for al-Haj’s well-being and any harm inflicted upon him during his unlawful detention.

Al-Haj is a renowned member of the Sudanese Bar Association’s steering committee and was actively involved in drafting the constitutional declaration establishing the transitional government signed by the military and political forces that led the protests against al-Bashir in 2019.

In a separate development, the Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) in Red Sea State disclosed that a security force raided the party’s headquarters in Port Sudan late on December 30, arresting two cadres and two individuals.

The SCP said in a statement on Monday that the security forces deliberately vandalized the premises and tampered with documents stored therein.

The statement emphasized that these arrests exemplify a pattern of systematic targeting of civilian political parties advocating for an end to the war and all honourable patriots, who are being subjected to campaigns of defamation and vilification instigated by remnants of the former regime.

The party categorically rejected the suppression of Sudanese citizens’ freedoms, condemned the continuous detentions of individuals, held the security forces fully accountable for the safety of all detainees, and demanded their immediate release.

The Sudanese authorities have launched a crackdown on the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) and other civilian groups opposed to the war, accusing them of collaborating with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group waging war against the government for more than eight months.

(ST)