African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies ACJPS | المركز الافريقي لدراسات العدالة و السلام
(6 September 2011) The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies has documented hundreds of incidents of arbitrary arrest on the basis of perceived political affiliation and membership to particular ethnic groups since conflict reignited in Northern Sudan’s contested South Kordofan state in early June. Similar incidents have occurred in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, although on a smaller scale when members of the Nuba ethnic group and Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement – Northern Sector (SPLM-N) supporters were arrested in June. Despite a late August ceasefire declared by President Omar al-Bashir in South Kordofan, arrests on the basis of political affiliation have not abated. As the African Centre has already reported, 12 individuals were arrested on 2 September in El-Moreib El-Suq under the orders of the Local Commissioner, Police and National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) (see Arbitrary Arrests in South Kordofan Continue). Meanwhile a further 200 people are estimated to have been arrested since 28 August in South Kordofan, when the National Congress Party (NCP)’s Military Commander, Ahmed Adam Mohamed Adam, head of Military Unit no. 53, deployed joint forces comprised of members of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), police, and NISS in Abugebiha area, South Kordofan, to arrest members of the SPLM-N. The detainees were reportedly divided into two groups and then held at an oil factory owned by Haj Ahmed Alfadul and an ice factory owned by Abdulrazig Alhaj. Commander Adam gave his forces orders to execute the detainees in the event that the SPLM attacked the area, perhaps to make it appear as if the detainees were civilian casualties of the SPLM. The identities of those known to be in detention currently are:
- Kaltoum Musa Aldai, female
- Khadiga Ismail Kojo, female
- Abdulbagi Hamad Adam, male
- Alsarih Brima Mohamed, male
- Nato Musa, male
- Abdalla Osman Kosmie, male
- Mohamed Salim Mohamed, male
- Amna Alnour, female
- Alawia Dawalbait, female
- Aisha Alsafi Nwai, female
- Meryan Khalifa, female
- Radi Ali Alfadul, male
- Fadlal Almwla Musa, male
- Gesma Alteyeb Alnour, female
- Arafa Ibrahim Alwali, female
- Tajouj Bab Alla, female
- Alhadi Abdraham, male
- Alhaja Agrab, female
- Majda Fadulalla, female
- Alshikh Abdlkreem, male
- Um Slama Mohamed, female
- Kaltoum Jrban, female
- Maria Ahmed Aljak, female
- Rizig Hmada, male
- Shakir Makki, male
- Hawa Shaa Aldeen, female
- Kaka Abdalla, female
- Alumda Ahmed, male
- Abdalla Shool, male
- Haja Bento, female
- Agsaam Ibrahim, female
- Ekhlas Musa Alwan, female
- Awatif Alamin Kafie, female
- Kuka Alamin, female
- Mahmoud Alsikh, male,
- Wageela (accountant), male
- Mukhtar Alzubir, male
- Ibrahim Alnour Hassan, male
- Magda Fadulalla, female
- Abashar Adam Dabuk, male
- Mohamed Ismail Kajo, male
- Musa Altoum Abaker, male
- Abduaziz Jabir Alawal, male
- Adam Jumma, male
- Osama Abdalla Alniel, male
- Omar Abdalla Eissa, male
- Tety Ahmed, female
- Hassan Jumma, male
- Amir Salih Ali, male
- Ali Eissa, male
- Altegani Yousef, male
- Alshikh, male
- Ibrahim Ismail Hussein, male
- Um Alhussein Fadlalla, female
- Fatima Adam Ali, female
- Adam Daieen Sbah Alkhair, male
- Omar Abdallah Eissa, male
- Hassan Eissa, male
- Musa Altoum, male
A short-lived framework agreement on South Kordofan and Blue Nile signed on 28 June in Addis Ababa between the SPLM-N and the National Congress Party (NCP) affirmed the right of the SPLM-N to exist in the North. However, the NCP quickly rejected the agreement and on 3 September, the NCP officially declared the SPLM-N to be illegal, freezing their assets, closing their offices and arresting members present. The NCP then embarked on a broad campaign of arrests against perceived SPLM-N supporters. The African Centre documented the following consequences of this decision on 3 September:
- Khartoum: the NISS stopped SPLM-N members as they were leaving the party’s headquarters in Arkaweet area. They were told that they were no longer allowed to work in Northern Sudan, and ordered not to return to the office. NISS officers remained outside the headquarters. The office of SPLM-N chairman Yasir Arman was also closed.
- El Fashir, North Darfur: the NISS entered SPLM-N headquarters, arresting three SPLM-N members and freezing their assets. Those arrested are:
- Abdulshahour Ishag, member of the SPLM-N cabinet;
- Albdmajed Ahmed Fadul, member of the SPLM-N cabinet; and
- Azideen Mohamdeen Knajok, Youth Secretary.
- Kocity, White Nile State: the military in White Nile State arrested a number of SPLM-N members. Those arrested are:
- Abdallah Saeed Daud: the SPLM-N chairperson of Kocity locality, he was arrested from his home at 12 PM;
- Abdalwahab, arrested from the SPLM-N’s offices at 8 PM;
- Alfatih, arrested from the SPLM-N’s offices at 8 PM;
- Neemat Adam Jmaa, arrested from the SPLM-N’s office at 8 PM. She was released at 11 PM on 4 September, and ordered to report back to the NISS’ office on 5 September. Ms. Jmaa was an SPLM-N candidate in the April 2010 General Elections.
- Haidar Hassan Abuzater, a SPLM-N candidate in the April 2010 General Elections;
- Jafarr, arrested near the SPLM-N office in Kocity; and
- Alamin, a SPLM-N member and prominent businessman.
All of the detainees were referred to NISS offices in Kocity town.
- Rabak, White Nile: Alwada Isikh Aldaw and Michael Gai were arrested.
- Kenana, White Nile State: NISS agents arrested Yair El-Fait, Siddig Adam Ahmed, and El-Tayeb Waj (a Southerner).
- Al Doueim, White Nile State: Malik Alshikh Malik, a lawyer, was arrested by National Security. As of 4 September, Mr. Malik remained in NISS custody.
- El Damazin, Blue Nile State: On 3 September, the NCP in El Damazin arrested roughly 100 SPLM-N members. 20 were reported to have been subjected to extrajudicial killings. Other SPLM-N members turned themselves into the NCP to avoid potential attacks on areas perceived to have large numbers of SPLM-N supporters. Some of those known to be arrested are:
- Eissa Zaid, head of the land commission. Mr. Zaid was arrested at 3 PM.
- Mohamed Abdlhafi, senior staff of the Youth Ministry.
The NISS also arrested the following members of the SPLM-N at 2 PM:
- Aldo Salih
- Aldo Abbas
- Adam Alfeel
- Abdelkeem Ibrahim
- Aldaw Dafalla
- Port Sudan: The NISS in Port Sudan froze the assets of the SPLM-N. On the morning of 4 September, they returned to the office and met with SPLM-N member Abdelatif Mohamed Adroub, who was forced to hand over all of the SPLM-N office cars to the NISS.
- El Geneina, West Darfur: On 3 September, the NISS in West Darfur arrested the following individuals:
- Salwa Adam Benia
- Saad Sandal
- Sharib Yousef Zakaria
- Daoud Fadul
- Smraa Suliman
- Northern State: The following members of the SPLM-N were arrested on 3 September. They are:
- Mohamed Mahmoud
- Hashim Musa
- Mergant Teiah
- Gesim Ibrahim
- Makeer Aloung
- Shams Aldeen
- El Gedarif, Eastern Sudan: the NISS arrested Mohamed Saad Abogbala
- El Gezira State: the NISS arrested Tariq Mehice and Mohamed Abaker.
- El Obeid, North Kordofan: the NISS arrested SPLM-N members Adam Ahmed and Muhand Rahma.
The latest round of arrests of SPLM-N members comes amidst escalating conflict in North Sudan. The decision to withdraw recognition from the SPLM-N violates the Addis Framework Agreement, which explicitly recognized the legitimacy of SPLM-N. The NCP quickly expressed reservations on the agreement (likely the result of an internal rift within the party), declaring that the SPLM-N would not be a legitimate party in the North following secession of the South, and would have to re-register. Though it is unclear if the SPLM-N attempted to register post-secession, statements from senior NCP officials indicate that they believe the SPLM-N’s core constituencies to be 95% “foreigners”, i.e. Southerners. Under the Political Parties Law, registration can only be attained if parties agree to disband militias. While this provision is fairly uncontroversial, the SPLM-N is only required to disband their troops six months after the completion of the CPA-prescribed popular consultations (which are stalled in Blue Nile and have yet to begin in South Kordofan). The African Centre calls for the Government of Sudan to release detainees, or charge them with an internationally recognised offence. In the context of information received about the treatment of SPLM-N detainees and house to house searches that took place in South Kordofan, the African Centre is seriously concerned that detainees may be subjected to torture, incommunicado detention, and extrajudicial killings, as has already reportedly been the case in El Damazein, Blue Nile. The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies believes that those subjected to arrest were targeted solely on the basis of their real or perceived membership of a political party. The government of Sudan may contend that the party is no longer legal, but this is no justification for arresting people based on suspected past participation. Freedom of assembly and association are guaranteed under Article 40 of the Interim National Constitution. Further, the right to political participation and to participation in a political party is also enshrined in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, instruments to which Sudan is a party.
