Khartoum -

The "Book" of Military Coups in Sudan, in its many pages, says that a successful move requires declaring a state of emergency and arresting all opponents quickly.

This is what happened on the morning of last October 25, when the military authorities arrested a number of leaders of the transitional government, and its political incubator, at the level of the capital, Khartoum, and the states, in addition to the arrest of a number of activists and journalists.

After the signing of the political declaration between the army chief, Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, the authorities began releasing political detainees, the last of whom was the Minister of Industry in the isolated government and the leader of the Congress Party, Ibrahim Al-Sheikh, today, Tuesday, and a member of the Sovereign Council, Muhammad Al-Faki Suleiman, yesterday, Monday. , while others are still - as of writing the report - in detention.

Many questions arose regarding the reasons for the arrest, the manner in which it is carried out, and the legality of the step, in addition to knowing the reasons for releasing them, and whether there was a political deal behind it.


Fears and rumors

Shadows of suspicion accompanied by fear surrounded the Sudanese street on the morning of October 25 and the following days, due to the great inability to access reliable information about the detainees, especially in light of the interruption of internet service and the poor communication networks.

There were reports that some detainees were severely beaten by members of the security forces, to the point of being transferred to hospitals in dangerous cases.

Al-Burhan, in the first appearance of a journalist after the "coup," confirmed the safety of the detainees, and pledged to release them, and to legally deal with those charged with criminal charges.

Disagreement regarding treatment

Description of Maher Abu al-Goukh, the financial and administrative commissioner of the Andalus Company, which owns the Tiba channel, and is subject to review by the Omar al-Bashir Empowerment Removal Committee;

The force that took him from his home on the morning of the coup treated him "professional."

Abu Al-Joukh told Al-Jazeera Net that an armed military force estimated at about 10 to 15 security personnel in civilian clothes, arrived at his home in the Darushab suburb (north of Khartoum), at half past three in the morning of the "coup", and ordered him to accompany them to issue an arrest warrant against him.

He pointed out that the commander of the force allowed him to wear decent clothes and prepare a small bag containing clothes and personal belongings, and then he was taken to a security prison known as "refrigerators" because of the coldness of his rooms. It is located in Bahri (north of the capital).

He said that during his 33-day detention, he was not subjected to any verbal or physical violence, and he and his companions were treated with respect, unlike what was happening during the era of the regime of ousted President Omar al-Bashir, as he described it.

But he returned and added that their detention was carried out in a solitary manner, which limited him to meet the rest of the detainees by chance in the prison corridors, or during daily sports periods, which led to their entry into complete isolation from what is happening outside.

Khaled Omar (right) and Muhammad al-Faki are among the most prominent leaders of the civilian component who were arrested before being released later (Sudanese Press)

Maher had previously been arrested during the revolution against al-Bashir, and was only released after the overthrow of the regime, and this time he was released only a few days ago, after signing the political declaration that stipulated in one of its clauses the release of all political detainees, and after threatening them to go on strike. for food to protest their arrest.

Abu Al-Joukh estimated that the reasons for his arrest were due to his constant warning of the presence of signs of a military coup against the transitional government, and he ridiculed the allegations that their arrests were carried out through a political deal, or after consultations between them and the leaders of the coup.

On the other hand, Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in the isolated government, Khaled Omar Youssef, wrote about different conditions of arrest that he was subjected to, "as he was beaten during his arrest," he said, but Khaled returned and secured Abu Al-Goukh's words about the respectful treatment they found inside the prison.

And regarding the circumstances of the arrest of the isolated Minister of Industry Ibrahim Al-Sheikh, his wife, lawyer Amani Malik, denounced, in an interview with “Sudan Bokra” channel, the harsh manner in which the force executing the arrest warrant dealt.

She said that members of the force, which is believed to be a mixture of several security entities, caused panic among their family members, and one of the force's members even pointed a weapon directly at Ras al-Sheikh.

moves

Some families and defense bodies demanded the immediate release of the detainees, blaming the authorities for any damages they may have suffered.


Among the many letters seen by Al Jazeera Net, we refer to the speech of the family of the leader of the Empowerment Removal Committee, Wajdi Saleh, and the speech of the defense committee for the head of the dissolved National Congress Party and former Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour.

Ghandour was arrested less than 24 hours after his release by the Public Prosecutor, who was dismissed, days after the army took power.


Ghandour was arrested for the first time on June 29, 2020, on charges of involvement in planning sabotage.

Ibrahim Ghandour was re-arrested less than 24 hours after his release, days after the army took power (Reuters)

stress response

Journalist and political analyst Ammar Awad stresses that the coup leaders based their movements against opponents on the emergency law that is still in force.

Awad told Al Jazeera Net that the recent arrests, in their nature, refer to the military's efforts to secure the new conditions from hostile movements, even if the arrests were marketed with criminal charges against the detainees.

Awad suggested that the release of the detainees was likely a result of the pressures that the regime was subjected to internally and externally, in addition to the pledges of its leaders to implement the step after signing the political declaration.

Although the Sudanese regime began evacuating political prisoners based on the texts of the political declaration, fears still exist today, with the continuation of the state of emergency, and a strong tendency to prosecute opponents in the courts on charges of sedition and insulting the Sudanese army.