Sudanese teachers condemn appointment of official linked to 2019 activist’s murder

September 22, 2025 (KASSALA) – The Sudanese Teachers’ Committee on Monday condemned the appointment of an education director in Kassala state, whom it accuses of luring a fellow teacher, Ahmed al-Khair, to an arrest that led to his death by torture during the 2019 uprising.

Al-Khair was a teacher and activist who was arrested in January 2019 during mass protests that led to the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir. He died in custody days later, and his death under torture became a rallying point for the pro-democracy movement.

The committee identified Hassan Ahmed Mohamed Hamroun as the new Director of Education for Kassala locality.

In a statement, the committee said Hamroun’s appointment was a “setback for the value of justice and a deep wound for generations of teachers.” It alleges that Hamroun “lured teacher Ahmed al-Khair to be arrested on January 27, 2019, after which he lost his life under the effect of deadly torture.”

A court in Omdurman sentenced 27 security service members to death or prison in 2020 for al-Khair’s murder, but the sentences were never carried out. The convicts reportedly escaped from Kober Prison in Khartoum after the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces broke out in April 2023.