Khartoum – The National Umma Party in Sudan condemned, on Sunday, the arrest of the party’s Deputy Chairman in North Kordofan State, Sadiq Gandour, by security forces in the city of Bara.
The party’s secretariat pointed out that these forces have been detaining Gandour since last Thursday, clarifying that the authorities stopped him while he was heading to the city of Al-Obeid, without providing any official explanation about the reasons for the arrest or his place of detention.
Stated that the authorities have not allowed Gandour’s family to visit or communicate with him since his detention, noting that this measure is part of a ‘systematic targeting approach’ faced by the party’s leaders and cadres, alongside other national political forces, as described.
The party held the security agencies in North Kordofan fully responsible for the safety of Sadiq Gandour, demanding his immediate release, along with all those described as ‘innocent civilian detainees’ who chose to remain in their areas despite the difficult security and humanitarian conditions in the country.
The party indicated that Gandour had been residing in the city of Bara during the past period, bearing the consequences of the humanitarian crisis resulting from the ongoing war for more than two years, adding that his arrest comes in the context of what he described as a ‘mentality of revenge and exclusion’ within some security agencies.
The party also called on national and international human rights organizations to monitor what it described as ‘ongoing violations’ and to demand the release of detainees and hold those involved in these actions accountable, affirming its commitment to its positions ‘rejecting war and advocating for peace and democratic civilian transition.’
