Kassala protests after man dies in Sudan intelligence custody

September 1, 2024 (KASSALA) – Protests erupted in Kassala; eastern Sudan, on Sunday after a young man died in the custody of the General Intelligence Service (GIS), allegedly due to torture, activists said.

Demonstrators blocked major roads in Kassala and staged a sit-in at the public prosecutor’s office, demanding justice for 25-year-old Alamin Mohamed Nur, who was arrested on Friday and pronounced dead hours later.

The public prosecutor has filed a case of premeditated murder and demanded the GIS identify those responsible.

Protesters are refusing to receive Nur’s body for burial or end their demonstrations until the perpetrators are arrested and GIS leaders are dismissed.

A relative of the deceased told Sudan Tribune that Nur, a merchant, was arrested without cause. An autopsy report revealed bruises consistent with torture, he said.

The GIS has reportedly agreed to provide the prosecution with the names of agents involved in Nur’s arrest and interrogation.

Security forces fired shots to disperse protesters who surrounded the GIS headquarters in Kassala, witnesses said, though no injuries were reported.

The Bani Amer Youth Gathering, a local group, called for the dismissal of top GIS officials in the state and held them responsible for the death. The East Sudan Bar Association also demanded that those responsible be held accountable.

Sudan’s military and security agencies have been accused of widespread arrests and abuses against civilians in areas under their control, particularly those suspected of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that has been battling the army since April 2023.

In May, a prominent political figure in Al Jazirah state died in military intelligence custody, also allegedly due to torture.