Sudan’s GIS operations staff rejects dissolution of their service
August 23, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – Members of the Operations Directorate of Sudan’s General Intelligence Service (GIS) last Thursday rejected the dissolution of their service and their integration into the armed forces.
GIS General Director Abu Bakr Mustafa (aka Damblab) Thursday held a briefing for the members of the Operations Directorate to inform them about the decision to dissolve the service and to integrate those who want in the army or the Rapid Support Forces.
Those who do not want to join the army or its militia will receive financial compensation on termination of employment.
However, the members of the Directorate who attended the briefing protested the proposed options and chanted slogans against the dissolution et their possible merger in the armed forces.
The staff of the directorate demand to be absorbed in various GIS departments instead of joining the Rapid Support Forces or the army.
The operations department was established by Salah Gosh in 2008 after the increased role of the former National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) in the counterinsurgency in Darfur and the need to oversee the activities of militias.
But its tasks have recently been directed to protect strategic economic activities including oil facilities, gold mines and combating cross-border smuggling.
There are about 13,000 operations personnel, half of whom are based in Khartoum state.
The demand for the directorate’s dissolution came after it participated in the bloody crackdown on protesters from December 2018 until the fall of the al-Bashir’s regime in April 2019.
The decision to dissolve the operations department was formally announced in July.
The junta’s deputy chairman, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemetti) revealed their intention to restructure the NISS in April 2019.
He said that the NISS could not be dissolved but could be restructured to the extent that it would focus on counterterrorism, espionage, preventing human trafficking, combating corruption and money laundering.
In line with the transitional constitutional declaration, the GIS’s role should be limited to the collection and analysis of intelligence information.
(ST)