Sudan SPLM decries detention of two MPs by the police

Aug 19, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — A lawmaker who heads the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement opposition group in parliament accused police of arresting two of the party’s MPs in spite of their parliamentary immunity.

“They have been beaten up and thrown in prison, regardless of their lawmakers’ immunity,” Yaser Arman said. He did not say why police had arrested the MPs, one of whom represents West Darfur.

The detained MPs are Mohamed Abakr Juma, an SPLM MP in West Darfur and Yaheya Mohamed Yaheya from Al-Jazeera.

Juma is accused of murder but police investigation had nothing with this murder, the police were interrogating him on political issues, said Aram. While Yaheya is charged of illegal drugs possession.

Arman accused the ministry of Interior of attempting to create a military empire parallel to the armed forces. He disclosed that the SPLM demanded the reorganisation of the police. According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement the police in every state depend from the state and not from the federal government.

He also told the press that the police must be dressed in an uniform different from the army, but this is not the case fro the time being.

A former rebel movement that fought a 21-year civil war against the government in South Sudan, the SPLM’s relations with Khartoum remain shaky, and the U.N. has a large peacekeeping force monitoring a January 2005 peace agreement in the south of the country.

(ST)