Sudanese security bans travel of civil society activist

November 21, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Civil Society Initiative (CSI) said that security agents at Khartoum airport Thursday have prevented its member Babiker Mohamed al-Hassan from travelling to Addis Ababa.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Saturday, CSI also said the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) seized passport of its chairman Amin Mekki Madani last week upon his return from Paris where he participated in opposition meeting.

According to the statement, NISS banned al-Hassan from travelling to Addis Ababa to participate in informal consultations with the African mediation on the preparatory dialogue meeting, saying they also confiscated his passport.

It said the move comes a week after the NISS agents at Khartoum airport seized passport of Medani upon return from Paris where he participated in the meeting of the opposition alliance “Sudan Call” forces.

The statement pointed that NISS’s acts reflects the tightened measures against the civil work and freedom of movement as well as the continued human rights violations.
It added that passports of several opposition leaders are still in NISS’s possession since last month, saying the move aims to prevent leaders of the internal opposition from travelling abroad to participate in the various political activities and events.

Spokesperson of the opposition alliance National Consensus Forces (NCF) Abu Bakr Youssef has earlier told Sudan Tribune that NISS had seized passports of six opposition leaders.

According to him, those leaders include the secretary general of the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) Mohamed Mukhtar al-Khatib, SCP leading figures Siddiq Youssef and Tarig Abdel-Mageed, chairman of the Sudanese National Alliance Party (SNAP) Kamal Ismail, chairman of the Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) Ibrahim al-Shiekh and chairman of the Unified National Unionist Party (UNUP) Galaa al-Azhari, saying the passports are still in NISS position.

CSI statement further denounced the regime continued seizure of freedoms and political work as well as preventing leaders of the civil and political work from travelling abroad.

It added those measures underline that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) isn’t serious about holding a genuine national dialogue that leads to a comprehensive and just peace and a democratic change in the nature of the structure and system of governance.

It is noteworthy that security talks between the government and the armed movements are currently taking place in Addis Ababa under the auspices of the African Union (AU).

According to the AU, the security talks will be followed by a mini preparatory dialogue between the dialogue body known as 7+7 and the signatories of “Paris Declaration” including the rebel umbrella Sudan Revolutionary Forces (SRF) and the opposition National Umma Party (NUP).

(ST)