Sudanese authorities arrest Unionist Alliance leader

March 8, 2022 – (KHARTOUM) – A security force on Tuesday arrested the head of the Executive Office of the Unionist Alliance, Babiker Faisal, as part of a campaign of arrests targeting leaders of the “suspended” Empowerment Removal Committee.

Security agents arrested Faisal in Shambat, Khartoum North, where he was to pay condolences and participate in the funeral of Sheikh Abdel-Wahab al-Shaarani, a well-known Sufi religious leader in Sudan.

Last February, the Sudanese authorities arrested the head of the committee and member of the Sovereign Council Mohamed al-Faki and several prominent members including Khalid Omer Youssif former cabinet minister, Wagdi Saleh and Taha Osman.

The Sudan Tribune learned that Faisal who is a member of the committee is charged with breach of trust, like the other detainees.

On Monday, the Unionist Alliance rejected the charges directed against the members of the suspended committee including al-Faki stressing that these accusations were merely political and without legal grounds.

The UNITAMS head Volker Perthes requested the Chairman of the Sovereign Council al-Burhan several times to stop the arrest of political leaders and to release the detained political leaders and activists in order to create a conducive environment for a dialogue process to end the ongoing political crisis in Sudan.

For his part, al-Burhan says their arrest was ordered by the general prosecution over a case lodged by the ministry of finance.

(ST)