February 11, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir on Sunday has issued a decree to re-appoint Salah Abdallah (aka Gosh) as director of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).

Gosh was the head of NISS for about a decade until al-Bashir replaced him in 2009.

In November 2012, Sudanese authorities announced that they had arrested 13 suspects, including Gosh on suspicion of standing behind a coup attempt.

After more than six months in detention, Gosh was charged with undermining the constitutional order, inciting violence to topple the legitimate government and breaching the anti-terrorism law.

However, the coup charges were abruptly dropped and he was released on 10 July 2013. Gosh lawyer Nabeel Adeeb said his client was granted an amnesty by al-Bashir.

According to the official news agency SUNA, Gosh on Sunday took oath before President al-Bashir as director of the NISS at the Guest House.

“The oath-taking was attended by the Chief Justice, Maulana, Haider Ahmed Dafallah, Chief Justice, Minister of the Presidency Fadl Abdullah Fadl and Director of the offices of the President of the Republic, Hatem Hassan Bakhit,” said SUNA

It is noteworthy that Gosh during his tenure boosted cooperation with America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), particularly after the 9 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

After leaving the security service in 2009 he became presidential security adviser but was sacked in early 2011.

He was later relieved from his position at the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) where he was the head of the party’s workers’ secretariat NCP and only maintained his seat in the Sudanese parliament.

(ST)