Sudan’s dialogue body visits detained opposition leaders
February 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – A delegation from the opposition parties within Sudan’s national dialogue committee known as 7+7 met the detained political leaders on Friday.
Political secretary of the Popular Congress Party (PCP) and member of the 7+7 committee, Kamal Omer, said that delegates from the opposition side in the committee paid a visit to Abu Issa at the police hospital “Sahiroon”.
The delegation visited Madani at Kober prison where they also met with Farah Agar, a former member of the ruling party arrested at the same time as Abu Issa and Madani on 6 December 2013 for meeting with rebels in Addis Ababa.
Abu Issa was rushed to the hospital for the second time on Tuesday due to sharp drop in blood pressure.
Omer pointed the visit was permitted by the prosecutor of the crimes against the state, saying it comes within the framework of the committee’s efforts to secure the release of the political detainees particularly Abu Issa, Madani and Agar.
He saw the release of all political convicts and detainees as an important requirement for the national dialogue, saying they raised the issue during their recent meeting with president, Omer Hassan al-Bashir.
The preliminary estimates of the 7+7 committee put the number of convicts from the rebel groups at 93 convicts besides several other political detainees.
Omer said the delegates were reassured that health conditions of the detainees are stable, saying they discussed with them the country’s problems in general and the political crisis.
“We believe they [detainees] are major and important leaders in the political arena and we are keen to unite all political forces. We are not only seeking to secure their release but also to allow the basic rights and liberties,” he said.
Omer reiterated that political parties participating in the national dialogue will submit a memo to president Bashir to release political detainees.
He added that in spite of the differences among political forces on the form and requirements of the dialogue, they all agree to its importance for the country.
Bashir launched the national dialogue initiative a year ago in which he urged opposition parties and rebels alike to join the dialogue table to discuss all the pressing issues.
But the initiative faced serious setbacks after rebel groups and leftist parties refused to join and after the National Umma Party (NUP) led by al-Sadiq al-Mahdi withdrew from the process in protest of al-Mahdi’s brief arrest last May.
Last month, several political parties including the Reform Now Movement (RNM) led by Ghazi Salah al-Din and the Just Peace Forum (JPF) led by al-Tayeb Mustafa and the Alliance of the Peoples’ Working Forces (APWF) announced they had decided to suspend participation in the national dialogue until the requirements of a conducive environment are met.
These requirements include the release of political detainees, freedom of expression, freedom of movement and travel, ending media restrictions, taking the needed measures to allow the return of opponents and rebels into the country, stopping war and allowing humanitarian access.
(ST)