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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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,

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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,

[Ends]

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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VIDEO: Devastation on streets of Khartoum. Gunfire in Port Sudan Prison. RSF blamed for storming prisons

Report and video from Sky News UK

Timestamped 12:24 BST Tuesday 25 April 2023 

Devastation on the streets of Khartoum

The streets of the Sudanese capital have been left looking like something out of a disaster movie by the intense fighting.

Desolate roads littered with rubble are flanked by scorched, windowless buildings.

People wandering the streets were seen carrying supplies either by hand or some in wheelbarrows.

View original and video here.

Getty Images Copyright: Getty Images
Image caption: Buildings across Khartoum are pockmarked from more than a week of heavy fighting

There are also reports of gunfire inside Port Sudan prison. An army spokesman told Sky News Arabia that the RSF was responsible for "storming prisons". Source: BBC News Live Reporting.

Saudi Arabia announces first civilian evacuations from Sudan. Armed group forcibly evacuated Khartoum's Al-Huda prison, detainees’ whereabouts unknown

Report from Gulf News.com

By Associated Press

Saturday 22 April 2023 15:30; Last updated: 22 April 2023 17:20

Saudi Arabia announces first civilian evacuations from Sudan

Boat carrying Saudi citizens and other nationals arrives in Jeddah

PHOTO People fill barrels with water in southern Khartoum on April 22, 2023, amid water shortages caused by ongoing battles between the forces of two rival Sudanese generals. Image Credit: AFP

CAIRO: A boat carrying Saudi citizens and other nationals rescued from battle-scarred Sudan arrived Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi state television said, in the first announced evacuation of civilians since fighting there began.

“The first evacuation vessel from Sudan has arrived, carrying 50 (Saudi) citizens and a number of nationals from friendly countries,” the official Al Ekhbariyah television said.

The boat docked at the Red Sea port of Jeddah where four other ships carrying 108 people from 11 different countries was expected to arrive later from Sudan, the broadcaster said.

Al Ekhbariyah carried footage of large vessels arriving in Jeddah’s port. It also released a video showing women and children carrying Saudi flags on board one of the ships.

Saturday’s evacuations mark the first major civilian rescue since violence in Sudan broke out on April 15. […]

Sounds of fighting continued overnight but appeared less intense on Saturday morning than on the previous day, a Reuters journalist in Khartoum said. Live broadcasts by regional news channels showed rising smoke and the thud of blasts.

The army and the paramilitary RSF, which are waging a deadly power struggle across the country, had both issued statements saying they would uphold a three-day ceasefire from Friday for Islam’s Eid Al Fitr holiday. […]

There has been no sign yet that either side can secure a quick victory or is ready to back down and talk. 

The army has air power but the RSF is widely embedded in urban areas including around key facilities in central Khartoum.

Burhan and Hemedti had held the top two positions on a ruling council overseeing a political transition after a 2021 coup that was meant to include a move to civilian rule and the RSF’s merger into the army.

In Omdurman, one of Khartoum’s adjoining sister cities, there were fears over the fate of detainees in Al Huda prison, the largest in Sudan.

The army on Friday accused the RSF of raiding the prison, which the paramilitary force denied. Lawyers for a prisoner there said in a statement that an armed group had forcibly evacuated the prison, with the detainees’ whereabouts unknown.

The Sudanese doctors union said early on Saturday that more than two thirds of hospitals in conflict areas were out of service, with 32 forcibly evacuated by soldiers or caught in crossfire.

Some of the remaining hospitals, which lack adequate water, staff and electricity, were only providing first aid. People posted urgent requests on social media for medical assistance, transport to hospital and prescription medication.

Any let-up in fighting on Saturday may accelerate a desperate rush by many Khartoum residents to flee the fighting, after spending days trapped in their homes or local districts under bombardment and with fighters roaming the streets. […]

ALSO READ

• UAE successfully mediates safe return of Egyptian soldiers in Sudan
• Sudanese military rules out negotiations with rival force

View original: https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/saudi-arabia-announces-first-civilian-evacuations-from-sudan-1.95287242]

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ICC: Hilal knows truth about Hemeti & Darfur war (Part 2)

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor:  The following article by Radio Dabanga dated 27 Nov 2017 features the Nov 2017 arrest of Sheikh Musa Hilal in North Darfur by Hemeti’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Coloured highlighting is mine.

See the second photo: a captive’s shoulder appears to be newly bruised, his shirt is being roughly pulled, he looks dazed and exhausted, the arm of a lowlife RSF thug seems to be raised in a violent manner.  

The eyes of the captives look strange, like they have been through hell. Surely they feel shocked, devastated, humiliated and ruthlessly betrayed by Messrs Bashir and Hemeti. 

Hemeti inveigled himself into Bashir's life who treated Hemeti like the son he never had. Bashir felt protected by Hemeti. Together, Bashir and Hemeti protected themselves. 

The arrest took place during the Bashir era. Hemeti ordered the RSF to bring Musa Hilal to Khartoum "dead or alive". Musa Hilal sought peace for Darfur, had the skills and gold to do so, posing a threat to Bashir's regime and Hemeti's lust for power in Darfur and its gold.

Musa Hilal is a warrior, for 16 years he has known the truth about his former underling Hemeti, the RSF and Janjaweed, what went on in Darfur and Khartoum, and the policing of vast areas far away from Khartoum. 

Musa Hilal’s daughter is married to Chad’s president Idriss Deby. Hemeti hires men from Chad for his RSF. 

Musa Hilal and his relatives and affiliates have been locked up in Omdurman prison for almost two years.  Have they been given a fair trial? Who is checking that they are being properly treated and cared for?

Could the UN/International Criminal Court (ICC) arrange to transport Musa Hilal and his relatives and affiliates to the safety of the ICC in The Hague where the truth could be told to help bring peace to Sudan?

Musa Hilal and his relatives and affiliates must be kept safe, treated respectfully and taken good care of now and in the future as they could help bring peace to Darfur and Sudan - and, in turn, South Sudan.

Article from and by Radio Dabanga.org

Dated 27 November 2017 - MISTERIYA / KHARTOUM

Musa Hilal, Revolutionary Awakening Council leadership arrested in Darfur

Musa Hilal, chairman of the Revolutionary Awakening Council, arrives as captive in Khartoum on Monday (RD)

Musa Hilal, former janjaweed leader and chairman of the Revolutionary Awakening Council, as well as his sons, brothers, entourage, and senior members of the Council’s leadership, were arrested on Sunday and arrived today in Khartoum.

The official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reports that the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemeti), has affirmed that Hilal was arrested on Sunday at Misteriya area, North Darfur. Gen. Hemeti, says that Musa Hilal was “involved in a plot against Sudan which has external dimensions”.

Hemeti said that in addition to Hilal, a number of his aides and three of his sons have also been detained. He also referred to detention of “a person who holds a foreign nationality among the forces of Musa Hilal”, indicating that this man had advanced communication equipment, “a matter which confirms the involvement of foreign parties in the acts for undermining the security and stability in Darfur”.

Hemeti affirmed stability of the security situation at Mustariha area, reiterating determination of his forces to continue implementing their duties.

Sons and brothers

Sources from the area also confirm the Hilal’s sons Habib, Fathi, and Abdel Basset were also held, along with his brothers Omar Hilal, Adam Ramadan, and Mohamed Barma Yusuf.

Brothers, sons and affiliates of Hilal were also captured (RD)

The arrests seem to verify claims made by Hilal’s Council last month of a plan for the RSF to capture him and send him “alive or dead” to Khartoum. In a statement, the Council accused “influential parties” within the government of “seeking to punish Hilal”, who has refused to cooperate with the government’s current campaign of arms collection.

Witnesses have told Radio Dabanga that at least 11 members of the Border Guards militia were killed in Sunday’s clashes. Callers said that civilians, including at least three women, were also killed during Sunday’s clashes, but exact numbers have not yet been ascertained. The area is reportedly under siege – all roads in and out are controlled by the RSF. Large military reinforcements have arrived with “tanks, armoured vehicles, and 500 armed vehicles”.

Arms collection

A spokesman for the RSF, Colonel Abdelrahman El Jaali, confirmed the death of the RSF director of general supplies, Brigadier Abdelrahim Gumma, in Hilal’s heartland of Misteriya during the confrontations that led to the arrest. Col. El Jaali told SUNA that Gumma was killed when he went to investigate an ambush on two vehicles transporting Hilal-led militia elements arrested within the framework of the forcible arms collection campaign.

He stressed that the state will go ahead in its project for collecting weapons and confronting those who tend to undermine the national security.

Also on Sunday, a spokesman for the RSF, Colonel Abdelrahman El Jaali, announced the arrest of Haroun Mahmoud Madikheir, the spokesman for the Revolutionary Awakening Council at Wadi Bari south of Misteriya of Kutum locality in North Darfur. Madikheir was reportedly on his way to Chad with his bodyguards.

El Jaali said in a statement to SUNA that the rapid support militia managed to arrest the most important person in the leadership and the founder of the Revolutionary Awakening Council accompanied by his personal guard.

View original:  https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/musa-hilal-revolutionary-awakening-council-leadership-arrested-in-darfur

Sudan: Musa Hilal faces court martial in Khartoum (Part 1)

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: A few minutes ago (12 noon in England, UK) I completed drafting six blog posts featuring Sheikh Musa Hilal of North Darfur, Sudan.

Radio Dabanga in The Netherlands is doing such a fine job of reporting that I have re-printed, here below, their article on Musa Hilal published today [10 Sep], re-titled it "Part 1" and, as a matter of urgency, I have followed it by jumping to my blog post titled "Part 6" and re-titled it "Part 2" in order to bring it forward for publishing today. The other parts, and more, will follow this week. Yellow highlighting is mine.

In my view, this news is important and urgent. Musa Hilal and his relatives and affiliates must be protected as soon as possible, kept safe and taken good care of, now and in the future, as they could help bring peace to Darfur and Sudan, and South Sudan. God bless the Sudanese people and the peace makers. 

Article from Radio Dabanga.org

Dated 10 September 2019 - KHARTOUM / MISTERIYA

Former Darfur janjaweed leader Hilal faces court martial in Sudan capital

Photo:  A bewildered Musa Hilal arrives in Khartoum after his arrest in Darfur in 2017 (RD)

A military court in Khartoum resumed proceedings on Tuesday [10 Sep 2019] to try former janjaweed leader Musa Hilal, who was detained two years ago, along with hundreds of his supporters.

The Revolutionary Awakening Council (RAC) which was founded by Hilal, said in a statement on Monday [09 Sep 2019] that the Council was surprised to hear that morning that their leader and his detained followers were summoned to appear before the military court without warning.

Hilal was initially arraigned by the military court on April 30 2018.

The RAC statement questions how it is possible that a court martial will try Hilal and his comrades while they were detained during the regime of ousted President El Bashir.

“Opens the door to ask whether the regime has fallen entirely or not. 

The regime that was overthrown by a popular uprising and brought a new system representing the goals of the revolution, freedom, peace, and justice.” The statement says.

The statement also asks why Hilal and his companions remain in prisons and detention cells until now, after the overthrow of the Al Bashir regime.

The RAC rejected any kind of trials (military or civilian) for political prisoners.

RAC: “Stop this absurdity”

In his statement, the RAC called for their immediate and immediate release, and called on the government of Sudan, represented by the Sovereign Council, Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, to intervene immediately to “stop this absurdity to preserve the law and the achievements of our glorious revolution”.

In May 2018, the Darfur Bar Association criticised the military trial of Hilal, “which is being conducted without taking into account the principles of a public trial”. According to the Darfur lawyers at the time (prior to regime change), Hilal’s “trial is a violation of the fair trial standards enshrined in the Sudanese Constitution and the law, which is casting doubts on its fairness and integrity, regardless of the acts attributed to Musa Hilal and his affiliates”.

Hilal should immediately be transferred to a criminal court. “This would constitute the only guarantee for correcting the violated legal procedures,” the statement read.

Families

The families of the detainees, most of them belonging to the Mahameed clan, of which Hilal is the leader, have reiterated their demand for their immediate and unconditional release.

The statement of the families of the detainees refused any trial of these detainees, whether civil or military courts, and demanded in return the Prime Minister Hamdouk’s immediate intervention and the issuance of a decision to release all political detainees.

After the deposal of President Al Bashir and the release of a number of political detainees, mainly fighters of armed movements, relatives and followers of Musa Hilal have publicly called for his and his men’s release more than once.

Supporters of Hilal organised a large demonstration in Misteriya in North Darfur last week, demanding his release.

On August 27, 10 of Hilal’s imprisoned affiliates entered into a hunger strike to protest their continued detention in a military prison in Omdurman. According to the spokesman for Hilal’s Revolutionary Awakening Council, “they have been subjected to systematic ill-treatment by the prison authorities and deprived of their most basic rights such as medical treatment and to meet their relatives through visits”.

In a statement, the organisers of the demonstration demanded from the newly established Sovereign Council and Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdouk to intervene, and release all political prisoners in the country “as soon as possible, without any conditions”.

“The failure to release all political detainees is a conspiracy in order to isolate them politically, and exclude them from the ongoing political process,” the statement reads.

The demonstrators appealed to the Forces for Freedom and Change and other political and civil forces to pressure the authorities to release all “political prisoners and prisoners of war”.

The statement also demanded the representatives of the revolution do their part towards their comrades in the struggle who are part of the charter of freedom and change and are still in prison remnants of the former regime.

Janjaweed

Hilal was arrested in a raid on his stronghold in Misteriya, North Darfur, in November 2017. His sons, brothers, and entourage, were detained as well. Hilal, who refused to operate with the government’s disarmament campaign, was transferred to Khartoum. His trial secretly began on April 30.

Hilal is held responsible for the atrocities committed in Darfur against civilians after the conflict erupted in 2003. In that year, he was released from prison by the Sudanese government with the purpose to mobilise Darfuri Arab herders to fight the insurgency in the region.

With full government backing, Hilal's janjaweed targeted villages of African Darfuris. They rarely came near forces of the armed rebel movements.

In 2008, Hilal was appointed as Presidential Assistant for Federal Affairs. In January 2014, he announced his defection from the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), and established the RAC.

The Council consists of Hilal’s militiamen and a number of North Darfur native administration leaders. RAC commanders took control of the Jebel Amer gold mining area in El Sareif Beni Hussein locality in July 2015. According to a UN Security Council report in April 2016, Hilal and his entourage were profiting from vast gold sales in Darfur.

RELATED NEWS

September 2 - 2019

North Darfur supporters of Musa Hilal continue to call for his release

August 29 - 2019

Sudan: Revolutionary Awakening Council detainees on hunger strike

August 23 - 2019

Relatives of Darfur militia leader call for his release

View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/former-darfur-janjaweed-leader-hilal-faces-court-martial-in-sudan-capital

Sudan: Hilal's N. Darfur supporters call for his release

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor:  The International Red Cross ought to visit Musa Hilal and other detainees in Omdurman prison in Sudan to check on their welfare and ensure that they are receiving adequate care and that their human rights are respected and adhered to regardless of their crimes. 

Article from and by Radio Dabanga.org

Dated Monday 02 September 2019 - MISTERIYA

North Darfur supporters of Musa Hilal continue to call for his release

Musa Hilal's sons, arrested in North Darfur, arrive in Khartoum, Novermber 17, 2017 (RD)

Supporters of former Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal, being held in an Omdurman prison for almost two years, organised a large demonstration in Misteriya in North Darfur on Sunday, demanding his release.

In a statement, the organisers of the demonstration demanded from the newly established Sovereign Council and Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdouk to intervene, and release all political prisoners in the country “as soon as possible, without any conditions”.

“The failure to release all political detainees is a conspiracy in order to isolate them politically, and exclude them from the ongoing political process,” the statement reads.

The demonstrators appealed to the Forces for Freedom and Change and other political and civil forces to pressure the authorities to release all “political prisoners and prisoners of war”.

Hilal was detained, along with his sons and hundreds of his militiamen, by members of the Rapid Support Forces, in November 26, 2017, when they refused to hand their weapons during a large disarmament campaign in Darfur.

RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemeti’ said at the time that Hilal and his supporters were “involved in a plot against Sudan which has external dimensions”.

After the deposal of President Al Bashir and the release of a number of political detainees, mainly fighters of armed movements, relatives and followers of Musa Hilal have publicly called for his and his men’s release more than once.

On August 27, ten of Hilal’s imprisoned affiliates entered into a hunger strike to protest their continued detention in a military prison in Omdurman. According to the spokesman for Hilal’s Revolutionary Awakening Council, “they have been subjected to systematic ill-treatment by the prison authorities and deprived of their most basic rights such as medical treatment and to meet their relatives through visits”.

View original article:  https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/north-darfur-supporters-of-musa-hilal-continue-to-call-for-his-release

Further Reading

August 29, 2019

Sudan: Revolutionary Awakening Council detainees on hunger strike

August 27, 2019

Renewed demand to release remaining Darfur detainees