Former president al-Bashir moved to hospital before fighting began, says Sudanese army

Report from BBC News LIVE Reporting

Wednesday 26 April 2023 10:19 BST UK - full copy:

Former president al-Bashir moved to hospital before fighting began, says military

Former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir was moved from prison to a military hospital before the outbreak of fighting earlier this month, according to the Sudanese army.

Bashir came to power in a military coup in 1989 and ruled Sudan until 2019, when he was toppled by another coup after large-scale protests.

Following his ousting, he was convicted of corruption and sentenced to two years in prison.

The army said in a statement that Bashir and a number of others had been moved from the Kober prison, near capital Khartoum, to a military hospital under police custody on the recommendation of medical staff.

Questions were raised about Bashir's whereabouts after a former minister in his government, Ali Haroun, announced on Tuesday that the former president had left the prison with other former officials.

Some reports had suggested that Bashir may have been released during an attack on the prison.

Both Bashir and Haroun are wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged atrocities in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

Read the BBC's profile of Bashir here.

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