Hemetti denies knowledge of protesters’ detention in Sudan
February 17, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – The Deputy Head of the Sovereign Council, Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemetti”, denied knowing about the presence of demonstrators detained in custody.
In a press conference held this week, a team of Sudanese lawyers revealed the arbitrary detention in Soba prison, Khartoum state, of more than 100 political detainees who are held without charge or trial. Most of them are from the Resistance Committees, the spearhead of the anti-coup protests.
Also, the lawyers and relatives of the detainees on Wednesday held a vigil in front of the office of the National Human Rights Commission calling to release political detainees who have been on hunger strike since Monday.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of an agreement on a human rights capacity-building programme for the SRF forces, Hemetti said the head of the Arab Organization for Human Rights suggested releasing detained protesters.
“I told him that I’m not aware of the detention of any protester, and if there are some of them in custody, I announce their immediate release,” he said on Thursday
“However, we announce the release of all RSF personnel convicted of disciplinary offences, not criminal offences,” he said stressing they used to reduce disciplinary measures every year.
The official news agency reported that Hemetti announced the release of detained protesters.
The RSF leader is keen to improve the image of his paramilitary force which was established with the notorious Janjaweed militiamen.
On December 14, 2021, the RSF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) signed an agreement to support the integration of the rules of international humanitarian law in the training of the militia.
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Head of the Sovereign Council on February 12, rejected any reform of the security sector saying only an elected government can conduct it.
This rejection means that he intends to keep intact the RSF and he has no plans to merge it in the national army as it was agreed in the Constitutional Declaration and the Juba Peace Agreement
(ST)