SPLM-N, SCoP call to escalate campaign to release political detainees
November 15, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The rebel Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) and the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) on Monday have called to escalate the campaign to release political detainees.
Following the government decision to raise fuel and electricity price on November 3rd, the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) launched a large arrest campaign and detained 20 leading figures from the SCoP besides several members of the National Umma Party (NUP), Sudanese Communist Party (SCP), Arab Ba’ath Party, National Alliance Forces (NAF) as well as civil society activists and journalists.
Also, the NISS detained and summoned dozens of the Sudanese doctors participating in the strike that has been ongoing since last month.
On Monday, a delegation from the SPLM-N including its chairman Malik Agar, secretary general Yasser Arman and the movement’s representative in South Africa Saber Abu Saadia have met in Pretoria with an SCoP delegate Ihab Al-Sayed al-laythi.
In a joint statement extended to Sudan Tribune, the SPLM-N said it has directed its base to work with the SCoP, the opposition umbrella Sudan Call and the rest of the opposition forces to escalate the campaign to pressure the NISS to release political detainees.
The SPLM-N renewed full solidarity with the detainees from the SCoP, NUP, NAF, SCP and ABP as wells civil society activists, journalists, doctors and all detainees.
The rebel movement said it would raise the issue of the detainees during its meetings with the leadership of the ruling coalition in South Africa and civil society.
It further with the message it received from the acting chairman of the SCoP Abdel-Monem Omer in which he called for the need to reconsider the political process and dialogue talks with the regime and to continue pressure to overthrow the regime.
The SPLM-N also called for the importance to unify the opposition work, demanding its allies in the Sudan Call to take a collective stand to suspend political contacts with the regime particularly after the arrest of some members of the alliance’s Leadership Council.
(ST)