Sudan crisis: War crimes suspect free amid chaos

Report from BBC News

By JAMES GREGORY & JAMES COPNALL

Wednesday 26 April 2023 c.11:50 am BST UK 

Sudan crisis: War crimes suspect free amid chaos

IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES

Image caption, Haroun (left) in 2010 when he was governor of the South Kordofan region

A former Sudanese politician wanted for alleged crimes against humanity has said that he and other former officials are no longer in jail - following reports of a break-out. 

Ahmed Haroun was among those being held in Kober prison in the capital Khartoum who are facing charges by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

A ceasefire between fighting military factions largely appears to be holding. 

But there are doubts about both sides' commitment to a lasting peace. 

The conflict - which began on 15 April - arose from a bitter power struggle between the leaders of Sudan's regular army and a rival paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Reports emerged this week of a prison break at Kober - where Ahmed Haroun was serving a sentence alongside Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's former president. 

On Tuesday, Haroun confirmed in a statement aired on Sudan's Tayba TV that he and other Bashir loyalists who served under him had left the jail - but said he would be ready to appear before the judiciary whenever it was functioning.

In an audio message circulating on social media, Haroun claimed the group had been aided in their escape by prison guards and the armed forces.

"We made a decision to protect ourselves due to lack of security, water, food and treatment, as well as the death of many prisoners in Kober," Haroun told al-Sudani, a daily newspaper with ties to Bashir.

Haroun was a key player in the Sudanese government's brutal response to two long-running and still unresolved civil wars - in Darfur (from 2003) and South Kordofan (from 2011).

He was indicted by the ICC in 2007 for his alleged role in the atrocities in Darfur - described as the first genocide of the 21st Century - when he was the country's interior minister. 

He faces 20 counts of crimes against humanity and 22 counts of war crimes, with charges including murder, rape, persecution and torture. He denies the charges.

Mukesh Kapila, a former UN coordinator for Sudan, described Haroun as "extremely dangerous" and "unreliable", adding he had "many followers who have been lurking for the last two decades". 

"This, plus other armed groups now coming out of the woodwork, really changes the dynamics in ways that are difficult to predict at the moment - but it's really bad news," he told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme.

Haroun was arrested in 2019, after veteran leader Bashir was ousted by the military amid mass protests. The country has experienced frequent unrest and several other coup attempts since then. 

Bashir - who is 79 - had been serving a jail sentence for corruption. He is at a military hospital in police custody - having been moved there before the latest hostilities broke out, according to Sudan's army.

He is also accused by the ICC of leading a campaign of mass killing and rape in Sudan's Darfur region, which he denies.

Sudan's interior ministry has accused the RSF of breaking into five prisons in the past few days - including Kober, which Bashir had already left. 

Police said the raid led to the killing of two prison warders, and that the RSF released all who where being held there.

The RSF has denied the allegations, claiming instead that the military "forcibly evacuated" the facility as part of a plan to restore Bashir to power. 

An army spokesman denied any army involvement, saying the military "does not have any supervision over prisons". He said the military was coordinating with police to return inmates to prisons. 

But plenty of Sudanese will believe this is just the latest example of Gen Burhan, leader of Sudan's armed forces, trying to restore Bashir's Islamist lieutenants to the forefront of Sudanese politics. 

The ceasefire in Sudan has allowed several countries to evacuate their nationals from the country. Several evacuation flights carrying UK nationals from Sudan have landed in Cyprus, while a boat evacuating more than 1,600 people from dozens of countries has now arrived in Saudi Arabia. 

Both Germany and France say all their citizens have now left the country.

IMAGE SOURCE, AFP 

Image caption, Hundreds of people evacuated from Sudan have arrived in Saudi Arabia by boat

Image caption,

Volker Perthes, who is the UN special envoy to Sudan and is currently in the country, said on Tuesday that the 72-hour pause in fighting still appeared to be holding together. 

But gunfire and explosions continued to be reported in Khartoum and the nearby city of Omdurman. 

"There is yet no unequivocal sign that either [side] is ready to seriously negotiate, suggesting that both think that securing a military victory over the other is possible," said Mr Perthes. 

Mr Perthes said that many homes, hospitals and other public facilities have been damaged or destroyed in residential areas near the army headquarters and airport in the capital Khartoum.

The ceasefire, which began at midnight local time (22:00 GMT) on Monday, is the latest attempt to bring stability to the country after fighting broke out nearly two weeks ago. 

The White House said on Wednesday the ceasefire should be extended to address the humanitarian crisis, news agency Reuters reported. 

National security spokesman John Kirby also confirmed a second American had died in Sudan on Tuesday. 

At least 459 people have died in this conflict so far, though the actual number is thought to be much higher.

Thousands more are reported to have fled Sudan and the UN has warned that this is likely to continue. Lines of buses and other vehicles are continuing to leave Khartoum despite rocketing prices of fuel and bus tickets. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it expects there to be "many more" deaths due to outbreaks and a lack of services. 

More than 60% of health facilities in Khartoum are closed, it said. 

There is also concern for those who are left behind, with an estimated 24,000 pregnant women currently in Khartoum who are expected to give birth in the coming weeks.

View original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65394913

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Sudan: Attacks on prisons in Khartoum free thousands of inmates

Report from Radio Dabanga.org

Dated Tuesday 25 April 2023 c.13:50 BST UK - full copy:

Attacks on prisons in Sudanese capital free thousands of inmates

Kober Prison in Khartoum North (Radio Dabanga)

KHARTOUM – April 25, 2023 - Thousands of prisoners in the Sudanese capital were freed after men wearing Rapid Support Forces (RSF) uniforms launched attacks on several prisons. Among the freed prisoners is Mohamed Adam ‘Tupac’, who was held in El Huda Prison in Omdurman.

In a statement on Saturday, Army Commander Abdelfattah El Burhan accused the RSF of storming the El Huda Prison and killing its guards. “The release of the inmates poses a grave security threat and illustrates the state of indiscipline the rebelling [RSF] forces have reached,” he said.

The commander of the RSF, Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo, was quick to confirm that his forces did not attack the prisons. His media office had already denied “allegations circulating on social media regarding the forces’ storming of a prison and the release of prisoners”.

According to Hemedti, “The putschists and their collaborators tied to the ousted Al Bashir regime have launched a campaign of lies and misleading rumours to cover up their defeats on the battlefield.” He accused the army forces of disguising in RSF uniforms and carrying out criminal acts to blame the militia.

In an article published by Al Jazeera Net yesterday, Muzdalifa Osman reported that “although the RSF were quick to deny their connection to the attack on the El Huda Prison, and setting prisoners free, some of the escapees confirmed that the attackers belonged to the RSF, and that they wanted to free their comrades who had been sentenced for criminal cases”.

El Huda Prison, located north-west of Omdurman, is the second largest prison in the capital’s area, designed to accommodate 10,000 inmates.

Inmates of more prisons were freed. In central Omdurman, hundreds of women left the Omdurman Women Prison after it was bombed during violent clashes in the vicinity of the national radio and television building.

In Soba Prison, in the south-eastern part of Khartoum, inmates escaped as well. They staged “a stormy rebellion” since Saturday morning, protesting the lack of food and water for three days. “The doors were therefore opened for the prisoners,” eyewitnesses stated.

According to the testimony of one of the escapees in a video clip, the number of those released from Soba Prison reached 6,000 inmates. The Ministry of Interior has yet to issue any clarifications regarding these events, nor did officials respond to inquiries about the Soba Prison events.

Kober Prison

“With the successive reports of inmates escaping, all eyes turned towards Kober Prison [in Khartoum North], where several leaders of the former regime – who are being tried on charges of undermining the regime and seizing power in 1989- are being held,” Osman writes.

Press reports published on Saturday spoke of an RSF force launching an attack on Kober Prison on Tuesday, on the side where the leaders of the former regime are being held.

El Sudani newspaper reported that the attack aimed to kidnap the leaders of the ousted Omar Al Bashir regime from prison, but protection forces were able to repel the attack. The army command reportedly took over the security of the prison in anticipation of more attacks.

Earlier last week, former President Al Bashir and several his senior aides were transferred to an army hospital, allegedly based on a medical recommendation.

Mohamed Adam ‘Tupac’

After reports of the escape of El Huda prisoners, a member of the defence team of  Mohamed Adam, better known by his nickname Tupac, told Al Jazeera Net that they did not know the fate of their client who was held in El Huda Prison. 

Later, Nidal Suleiman – the mother of the accused – informed Al Jazeera Net that her son had arrived at the house after walking for many hours, and that they decided to keep him in a safe place until the situation stabilises, after which he will appear before the court and continue the case.

Tupac himself recounted in a video clip that the RSF attacked the prison and released all the inmates, stressing that he would not take advantage of the incident to escape and would return to detention until his case was completed and he and his comrades’ innocence was confirmed.

Radio Dabanga previously reported on the detainment of Tupac and two others who were held on January 14 last year on charges of killing a police officer and their subjection to torture in detention. 

View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/attacks-on-prisons-in-sudanese-capital-free-thousands-of-inmates

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Sudan former president Bashir accused of genocide and wanted by the ICC may be free after prison attack

Report from The Guardian

By Guardian staff and agencies

Wednesday 26 April 2023 00.01 BST

Last modified on Wed 26 Apr 2023 00.17 BST - full copy:

Sudan former president Bashir accused of genocide may be free after prison attack

Rival forces say Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the international criminal court, has either been released or taken to a different location after attack

An attack on the prison holding deposed Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir has raised questions about his whereabouts, with one of the warring sides saying he is being held in a secure location and the other alleging he has been released.

Al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan for three decades was overthrown during a popular uprising in 2019. He is wanted by the international criminal court (ICC) for genocide and other crimes committed during the conflict in Sudan’s western Darfur region in the 2000s.

The Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which together had removed al-Bashir from power during mass protests, are now battling one another across the capital. The fighting reached the prison over the weekend, with conflicting reports about what transpired.

Military officials told The Associated Press that Bashir, as well as Abdel-Rahim Muhammad Hussein and Ahmed Haroun – who both held senior security positions during the Darfur crisis – had been moved to a military-run medical facility in Khartoum under tight security for their own safety.

The army later accused the RSF of donning military uniforms and attacking the prison, saying they released inmates and looted the facility. The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, denied the allegations and claimed that the military “forcibly evacuated” the facility as part of a plan to restore al-Bashir to power.

Former official Haroun, who is also wanted by the (ICC), said that he and other former officials of Bashir’s government had been allowed to walk free, in a statement aired on Sudan television. 

He said they left the prison for their own safety because of the fighting and a lack of food or water.

Haroun also said he was ready to appear in front of the judiciary whenever it was functioning and would take responsibility for his own protection. It was not immediately clear if Bashir, who has spent extended periods in a military hospital, with him.

Both the military and the RSF have sought to portray themselves as allies of the country’s pro-democracy movement who are trying to restore its transition to civilian rule. But both joined forces to remove civilian leaders from power in a coup less than two years ago.

Kober prison held a number of activists detained after the coup. One of them who walked free, Ahmed al-Fatih, said he was willing to surrender at a police station but could not find any that were functioning amid the unrest, according to a statement released by his defence lawyers. Both activists said their lives were in danger at the prison as food and water ran low.

Videos circulating online appear to show a long line of prisoners leaving the facility with bags of belongings slung over their shoulders.

The ICC indicted Bashir, Hussein and Haroun on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur.

The Darfur conflict erupted when rebels from an ethnic African community launched an insurgency in 2003, complaining of oppression by the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum. Al-Bashir launched a scorched-earth campaign that included air raids and attacks by notorious Janjaweed militias – tribal fighters who stormed into villages on horses and camels.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report

View original: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/26/sudan-former-president-accused-of-genocide-may-be-free-after-prison-attack?ref=upstract.com

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Ex Sudanese president Bashir and 30 allies out of jail before Sudan's leaders started fighting 15 April 2023

Report from Reuters via The New Daily.com Australia

By Khalid Abdelaziz and Nadine Awadalla, Reuters

Dated Wednesday 26 April 2023 - full copy:

Former president Omar al-Bashir and allies out of jail as Sudan fighting flares

Play Aljazeera Video - SUDAN TRAVEL EXPLOITATION? 

Sudanese civilians priced out of leaving conflict 

As foreign nationals are evacuated out of Sudan by their embassies, many Sudanese are being priced out of a journey.

Sudan’s capital has resounded with gunfire and explosions, eroding a truce amid collapsing basic services, dwindling food supplies and the opening of a prison that let out allies of a jailed former autocrat.

With the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) showing no sign of easing, the army said former president Omar al-Bashir had been transferred to a military hospital before hostilities started on April 15.

It said Bashir was moved from prison with 30 former members of his regime, including Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, who along with the former president is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes for atrocities during an earlier conflict in the Darfur region.

The whereabouts of Bashir came into question after a former minister in his government, Ali Haroun, announced on Tuesday he had left Kober prison in Khartoum with other former officials.

Haroun is also wanted by the ICC on dozens of war crimes charges.

Thousands of convicted criminals, including some sentenced to death, were held in the vast prison, along with senior and lower-ranking officials from the Bashir regime, which was toppled four years ago.

Play France24 Video - Sudan fighting: Clashes between army and RSF underway despite truce. 

The US-brokered ceasefire in Sudan is now in its second day.  

But reports of new air strikes show just how fragile that truce between two warring generals really is. 

Civilian life has come to a standstill in Sudan. 

The country's residents are now facing major shortages of food, water, fuel 

and electricity. 

Sudan was already heavily dependent on humanitarian aid before the violence began nearly two weeks ago. 

But the situation has now been plunged into chaos. 

FRANCE 24's regional correspondent Bastien Renouil has the latest from Djibouti.

Sudanese authorities and the RSF traded accusations over the release of inmates, with the police saying paramilitary gunmen had stormed into five prisons at the weekend, killing several guards and opening the gates.

The RSF blamed authorities for letting Haroun and others out.

The release of convicted criminals added to a growing sense of lawlessness in Khartoum, where residents have reported worsening insecurity, with widespread looting and gangs roaming the streets.

“This war, which is ignited by the ousted regime, will lead the country to collapse,” said Sudan’s Forces of Freedom and Change, a political grouping leading an internationally backed plan to transfer to civilian rule derailed by the eruption of fighting.

Bashir came to power in a 1989 military coup and was ousted in a popular uprising in 2019.

Two years later, the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, with support from the RSF, took over in a coup.

The present conflict between the army and RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo broke out in part over disagreements about how quickly to integrate the RSF into the army under the planned transition to civilian rule.

The ICC in The Hague has accused Bashir of genocide, and Haroun of organising militias to attack civilians in Darfur in 2003 and 2004.

The ICC declined to comment on Bashir, Haroun and Hussein’s prison transfers.

Play Video - WHO Warns of 'Biological Hazard' After Sudan Fighters Take Control of Laboratory 

On April 25, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a "high risk of biological hazard" after a central public laboratory was seized in war-torn Sudan.

The renewed battles were in Omdurman, one of Khartoum’s twin cities, where the army was fighting reinforcements to the RSF brought in from other regions of Sudan, a Reuters reporter said.

The army has accused the RSF of using a three-day truce to reinforce itself with men and weapons.

The truce was due to end on Thursday evening.

Thanks to the ceasefire, fighting between army soldiers the RSF was more subdued in the centre of Khartoum.

The fighting has turned residential areas into battlefields.

Air strikes and artillery have killed at least 459 people, wounded more than 4000, destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in a nation where a third of its 46 million people rely on humanitarian aid.

United Nations special envoy on Sudan Volker Perthes told the UN Security Council on Tuesday the ceasefire “seems to be holding in some parts so far”.

But he said neither party showed readiness to “seriously negotiate, suggesting that both think that securing a military victory over the other is possible”.

Foreign powers have evacuated thousands of diplomats and private citizens in recent days, including 1674 from 54 countries helped out by Saudi Arabia.

Sudanese along with citizens of neighbouring countries have also been leaving en masse.

More than 10,000 people crossed into Egypt from Sudan in the past five days, authorities in Cairo said, adding to an estimated 20,000 who have entered Chad.

Others have fled to South Sudan and Ethiopia, despite difficult conditions there.

-Reuters

View original: https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2023/04/26/omar-al-bashir-out-of-jail-sudan/

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Sudan army launches manhunt for escaped prisoners

Report from BBC News LIVE Reporting

By Wycliffe Muia, BBC News

Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:27 BST UK - full copy:

Sudan army launches manhunt for escaped prisoners

Sudan's army and the police say they have launched an operation to bring back prisoners who have escaped during the fighting between rival military factions, including war crimes suspect Ahmed Haroun.

The interior ministry said in a statement that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is battling the army, broke into five prisons and released an unknown number of inmates.

The ministry said the raid on Kober Prison in the capital Khartoum led to the killing of two prison warders, and that the RSF released all inmates.

The jailbreaks took place between 21-24 April, according to the ministry.

A Sudanese army spokesman told Sky News Arabia this was a "major security threat".

The spokesman said the army was coordinating with the police to return inmates to prisons. He denied army involvement in the jailbreaks, saying the military "does not have any supervision over prisons".

View original here.

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Sudan: What is the significance of Haroun's prison escape?

Report from BBC News LIVE Reporting

By JAMES COPNALL

BBC World Service

Wednesday 26 April 2023 10:45 BST UK - full copy:

What is the significance of Haroun's prison escape?

As we’ve reported Ahmed Haroun has escaped from prison.

He played a key part in the Sudanese government’s brutal response to two long-running and still unresolved civil wars, in Darfur and South Kordofan.

He was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged role in the atrocities in Darfur, which has been described as the first genocide of the 21st century.

Haroun was a member of former President Omar al Bashir’s inner circle for much of his 30 years in power - and was locked up once Bashir was overthrown in 2019.

Now Haroun says he and other Bashir loyalists are out of Kober prison.

Plenty of Sudanese people will believe this is just the latest example of Gen Burhan trying to restore Bashir’s Islamist lieutenants to the forefront of Sudanese politics.

View original here,

[Ends]

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.

View original here,

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Whereabouts of former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir unclear amid mass prison breaks

Report from BBC News LIVE Reporting

By BBC Monitoring

Dated Wednesday 26 April 2023 8:37 BST UK - full copy:

Whereabouts of former President Bashir unclear amid mass prison breaks

Detained ex-officials from the regime of ousted President Omar al-Bashir have reportedly fled from Kober Prison in Khartoum, which has been the epicentre of Sudan's power struggle.

It is unclear if Bashir - who was jailed for corruption during his 30-year tenure - is among the escapees.

However, Al Jazeera on Tuesday cited family members saying he was still receiving treatment at a military hospital in the Sudanese capital.

And an official from the former governing National Congress Party (NCP) who fled from the prison told the Al-Sudani newspaper that they will "surrender to the judicial authorities when the situation allows".

"We made a decision to protect ourselves due to lack of security, water, food and treatment, as well as the death of many prisoners in Kober [prison]," Ahmed Haroun said.

Haroun is wanted for alleged war crimes, which he has previously denied. They relate to the alleged incitement of violence against civilians in Darfur. He was arrested in 2019 following the coup against Bashir.

Prisons have reportedly been targeted as fighting between the rival military factions rage for a second week.

In South Darfur's capital of Nyala, at least 750 prisoners reportedly escaped following protests and riots by inmates, while hundreds of others have escaped from other prisons in Khartoum and Omdurman.

View original here.

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