Sudanese security forces occupy Eritrean community clubs: embassy
KHARTOUM, Jan 15 (AFP) — Eritrea’s embassy has protested an alleged swoop by Sudanese security forces on two Eritrean community clubs in Khartoum and the arrest of the Eritreans running them, Asmara’s charge d’affaires here said Thursday.
“Plainclothes security men on Tuesday night raided and occupied two licensed clubs of the Eritrean community and arrested all the 15 Eritrean workers after ordering out the people who were present,” Mohamed Salih told AFP.
He described the act as “unjustifiable and unlawful (which) only impairs the brotherly and deeprooted ties between the two peoples”.
Salih said about seven armed men took part in each raid.
The senior Eritrean diplomat said the two clubs are for social and sports functions and “are open to everybody, including our Sudanese brothers, as no clandestine activities are practised in them.”
He said the embassy sent Wednesday a protest note to the Sudanese foreign ministry, which “has not yet responded while the clubs are still occupied by the security men and the whereabouts of the workers remains unknown to us.”
“The security authorities did not bother to notify the embassy of the incident, neither before nor after the raids,” Salih added.
Despite Salih’s comments about “brotherly and deeprooted ties”, relations between the Khartoum and Asmara governments are strained, with Sudan accusing Eritrea of supporting rebels in the western Darfur region.
Eritrea has denied the charge.