Sudanese president signs order for extradition of opposition leader

By Muawia E. Ibrahim

ABU DHABI, Oct 9, 2004 (Khaleej Times) — Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir has personally signed an order for the extradition of opposition leader Abdul Aziz Khalid who was arrested by the UAE authorities last month, on the basis of a notice issued by Interpol, accusing him of committing terrorist acts in Sudan.

‘Khaleej Times’ broke the news on Wednesday when it reported that a top Sudanese security official had visited the UAE last week to convince the authorities to hand over Mr Khalid, head of the northern opposition group Sudan Alliance Forces (SAF).

According to Sudan’s ‘Al Rai Al Aam’ Arabic daily, a delegation from the Ministry of Interior, led by a top official paid a short visit to the UAE to demand extradition of Khalid who is accused by Khartoum of involvement in rebel operations along Sudan’s eastern border since the early 1990s, including a series of attacks on oil pipelines and government forces.

Sources said the ‘wanted’ Sudanese opposition figure would be handed over to Khartoum, as the Interpol notice requesting his arrest has turned out to be invalid. The extradition will be processed under the Arab League Convention on Extradition to which both the UAE and Sudan are signatories. When Khalid was at large in the nineties, the Khartoum government had sent requests for his arrest to both the Interpol and the Arab League