Sudanese opposition figure arrested at airport trying to leave country
January 9, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Sunday night has arrested the chairman of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) office abroad Abdel-Muni’m Omer at Khartoum airport.
In a press release extended to Sudan Tribune Monday, SCoP said NISS agents at Khartoum airport “seized Omer’s passport and used excessive force to prevent him from boarding the flight”, pointing he “was taken to an unknown location”.
Last November, SCoP named Omer as an acting chairman of the party following the arrest of 20 top leading figures including its current leader Omer al-Digair.
For her part, Secretary General of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) Sara Nugd Allah said the NISS has summoned her aide and NUP Information Secretary Mohamed al-Amin Abdel-Nabi for two days.
In a press statement on Monday, Nugd Allah pointed that Abdel-Nabi “was kidnapped from Omdurman market on Saturday afternoon and was released late at night”, saying he was ordered to report to the NISS office on Sunday morning and was released in the evening.
She added that the move comes within the framework of an organized campaign targeting NUP leaders and cadres against the background of the party’s political and media activities to resist the regime.
The NUP Secretary General further said these actions wouldn’t deter her party from opposing and resisting the despotic and failed policies of the regime, holding the government responsible for the country’s deepening crisis.
She stressed that the NUP would work with all opposition forces and in particular the Sudan Call to overthrow the regime and establish a new regime that allows freedoms and rights.
Following the government decision to raise fuel and electricity price on November 3rd, the NISS launched large arrest campaign and detained more than 40 opposition figures from the SCoP , NUP, Sudanese Communist Party (SCP), Arab Ba’ath Party, National Alliance Forces (NAF) as well as civil society activists and journalists.
(ST)