Sudan’s military launches arrest campaign against activists, journalists

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Sudan’s military has arrested more members of the country’s civilian leadership after detaining Health Minister Omar El Najeeb and Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas, sources with the prime minister’s office said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, sources with the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) said the military has launched a widespread arrest campaign targeting activists and other former officials.

The military leaders have already arrested the majority of the government officials and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is still under house arrest, the sources confirmed.

Other officials including the prime minister’s former media adviser, Fayez Seleik, and leading SPA member Ismail Al-Taj were among those arrested.

The Sudanese Journalist Network (SJN) has also said that around five journalists have been arrested while others have been summoned for investigation by the security organs.

On Monday, Sudan’s military announced a state of emergency and dissolved the transitional Sovereign Council and the government hours after detaining Prime Minister Hamdok and ministers in his civilian government.

After a failed military coup last month, deep tensions erupted between the military and the civilian administration in Sudan amid recent rival protests.

Before the military takeover, Sudan was administered by a sovereign council of military and civilian authorities which was overseeing the transition period until elections slated for 2023 as part of a precarious power-sharing pact between the military and the Forces for Freedom and Change coalition.