Darfur detainees: freedom for sale
December 16, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – The Darfur Bar Association (DBA) claimed that hundreds in the western region of Sudan were arrested without legal grounds and that at least some of these arrests were carried out by a committee affiliated with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for their alleged participation in the inter-communal violence in the region.
Al-Sadiq Ali Hassan, chairman of the DBA Board of Trustees told Sudan Tribune that “dozens of people were held up in Ardamta prison in El-Geneina as part of an arbitrary arrest campaign led by an RSF colonel named Musa Ambello, who is also the head of the RSF Tribal Reconciliation Committee”.
A former detainee, who was recently released and spoke to Sudan Tribune on condition of anonymity for security reasons and for fear of reprisals, said that he was arrested at the behest of RSF deputy commander Abdel-Rahim Dagalo who is also the brother of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).
Why is that important? Prisoners and human rights activists say that the arrests are carried out by the RSF and that the detainees are subject to blackmail in order to pay in exchange for their release. But Darfur government officials strongly deny this
The governor of North Darfur Nimr Abdel Rahman told Sudan Tribune “These accusations are propaganda. Anyone who has witnesses or evidence to prove this can come forward and we will take measures against those behind it”.
Eyewitnesses: An ex-detainee, who spoke to Sudan Tribune denied that he personally bargained for freedom in exchange for money. However, he did confirm his knowledge of the experiences of other detainees from North Darfur who paid money to be freed.
But detainees who have been subjected to extortion and bought their freedom are wary of speaking publicly about their experiences or offering any testimonies.
The DLA deputy Nafisa Hajar said that they have confirmed the existence of money for get-out-of-jail schemes.
“We conducted an investigation about the matter and met with dozens of detainees inside the prison, and we looked at cases of some of them who bargained for their freedom and were subsequently released,” she said.
“One of the detainees told us that his brother paid a sum of money and was released, while he is still waiting due to his inability to pay the required amount” Hajar added.
She went on to say that the RSF is on the receiving end of these deals.
Another lawyer by the name of al-Sadiq Hassan told {Sudan Tribune} “Some of the detainees from North Darfur state paid sums of money before they were released and the majority of the detainees in this state were released, whether from Shala prison in El-Fasher or Al-Huda prison in Omdurman”
How did the events unfold in North Darfur? An eyewitness, who hails from the Malaqat area in North Darfur and spoke on condition of anonymity said: “The events began on August 15th when two men, of Arab origins, were found killed and their bodies were disposed of on the main road that connects the city of Kutum in the village of Karir”
The witness continued ”On the same day, armed groups from Arab tribes invaded the Malaqat area, killing (6) people of Tunjar ethnicity and injuring 11 others before they started burning and looting, which led to the fleeing of the local population.”
Who led the attack on Malaqat in Kutum locality? According to details obtained by {Sudan Tribune} the day after the incident, a committee of seven civil administrations, representing the people of the region that witnessed the attack, met with the governor of North Darfur and accompanied him on a field tour to the city of Kutum and from there to the area that witnessed the incidents.
The witness said: “The police chief in the Kutum locality assured those gathered that the gunmen who launched the attack on the village were from RSF and told them that they would find them there, still stationed on the ground at the scene of the incident”
Other sources testified that when the governor and his delegation arrived at Malaqat, they found that RSF deputy commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo had preceded them there, so when they met with him he gave his own version of events.
Arrests at Malaqat
A source who witnessed the meeting with Dagalo described how the members of a local committee from Malaqat were arrested, saying: “The committee spoke on behalf of the people of the region, and its members began to present their demands, which were limited to the necessity of providing security and working to ensure the return and safety of those who fled and linking the area to the communications network and facilitating the arrival of humanitarian organizations that provide first aid and relief to the needy. During those deliberations, Dagalo ordered the arrest of the group.
The group was taken to the city of Kutum, according to the source, where the police there charged some of them under Articles (64, 66, 160) of the Criminal Code, the first of which is related to provoking hatred, contempt, and enmity because of race, colour, or language, and the second relates to publishing False news, with regard to Article (160) on insults.
On Friday, December 16, 2022, the Darfur advocacy group released a statement announcing the release of 41 detainees from several prisons including Al-Huda Prison in Omdurman, Port Sudan and Ardmita of West Darfur state.
The group added that 21 detainees released from Al-Huda prison told them that the governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abdallah Abkar, visited the prison on Friday and released them.
“They do not know where to go while only six of them have relatives in Omdurman,” underscored the statement.
(ST)