Sudan’s GIS gets temporary power to arrest civilians

December 27, 2021 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s head of the Sovereign Council has temporarily given the General Intelligence Service (GIS) the authority to arrest civilians during the state of emergency.

The Commander in Chief of the Sudanese army  Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on October 25, 2021, dissolved the transitional government and declared a state of emergency in Sudan after the coup.

Under the Emergency Order published on the GIS’s Twitter page on Sunday, the agency once again has the right to arrest people, search, monitor property and objects, seize funds, etc., and prohibit or regulate the movement of people.

The decree provides immunity for the agents and protection from civil lawsuits for the GIS’s officers and other public officials.

Further, it stipulates that the term of the order terminates with the lift of the state of emergency declared on October 25.

The Emergency Order was not posted on the official news agency or other government media organ.

Despite its temporary character, the decision clearly breaches the constitutional declaration governing the transitional period.

In line with the Constitutional Document, the agency role is limited to gathering and analyzing the information.

The former National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) had the power to arrest civilians. It used to torture and kill political opponents.

(ST)