Sudan returns al-Bashir to prison and hardens the tone against the Islamists

Former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, upon his arrival at the court in Khartoum, August 24, 2021. © Marwan Ali, AP

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2 mins

While he had been discreetly transferred, for " 

 ", to a private hospital in Khartoum after General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's putsch in October 2021, the former Sudanese leader Omar el-Béchir must return to prison according to a decision of the judicial authorities of Wednesday, November 9.

Under pressure, the Sudanese junta seems to want to harden its tone against the former Islamist regime, in full negotiation with civil parties for a way out of the political crisis.

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With our correspondent in Khartoum,

For about ten months, Omar el-Béchir had not appeared before the court responsible for trying the sponsors of the 1989 coup. It was on this date that the colonel, supported by the Sudanese Islamist movement, seized of power and then ruled with an iron fist for 30 years.

Under the pretext of deterioration of his state of health, his lawyers had finally obtained his transfer to al-Alya hospital, a private establishment of the Sudanese army.

This after being imprisoned when he was dismissed by the army in April 2019.

The lawyers for the civil parties then denounced a " 

 ", because several

in the corridors of the hospital.

His return to prison " 

 ", welcomes lawyer Moez Hazrat who hopes that the hearings in the presence of the main defendant will be able to resume.

He returned there with several executives of the Islamist regime, including former vice-president Bakri Hassan Saleh,

and another Islamist leader, Ibrahim al-Sanosi.

This decision follows General al-Burhan's speech on Sunday, November 6, which frontally tackled the supporters of the Islamist regime, warning them against any attempt to use the army to return to power.

Turn of the screw in view of a way out of the political crisis?

“ 

 newspaper Thursday, November 10

.

Many Sudanese are skeptical while for a year, the junta has rehabilitated many supporters of the old regime, in particular in the administrations.

But these days, the military is trying to put on a good face.

A year after the putsch, the army is negotiating with a coalition of civilian parties, under pressure from Western and regional chancelleries: an agreement is close, indicate many sources.

It remains to be seen what the precise conditions for the withdrawal of the military from the political scene will be.

The country is plunged into an impasse,

, without a government for a year and facing a deteriorating security situation in several regions of the country.

And in the streets of Sudan, the pressure against the junta continues: new demonstrations took place Thursday, November 10 in the major cities of the country.

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• Sudan

• Omar al-Bashir

• Abdel Fattah al-Burhan