‘Hamza Combat Group ‘illusionary’: Editor of Sudan’s El Tayar

27/07/2014 13:20

The editor-in-chief of El Tayar daily newspaper who was attacked by a group of masked gunmen in his office in Khartoum last Saturday, said that the group claiming responsibility for the assault does not exist. Osman Mirghani, El Tayyar’s editor-in-chief, told Radio Dabanga on Friday that the group that attacked him and the newspaper’s staff, was made ​​up of 20 masked men in total. “Because of the use of heavy weapons, the assault is to be considered as a very serious crime.” “The group that claimed responsibility for the attack, the so-called Hamza Combat Group against Atheism and Heresy, does not exist. It is an illusionary group, fabricated in an attempt to hide the real ones responsible. We all know which bodies carry arms in Sudan. Apart from batons and iron bars, the assailants carried automatic weapons. The origin of these heavy weapons can be easily identified.” Mirghani denied that the reason behind the assault was his call for normalisation of relations with Israel. “The reasons are most likely to be found in El Tayyar’s exposure of the widespread corruption within government institutions.”He said that he had expected the assault, and accused some of his colleague editors at other newspapers of inciting the attack against him, “by creating a climate of hate in the media”. On Saturday afternoon, a group of masked men in two Land Cruisers stopped in front of the premises of El Tayyar newspaper in downtown Khartoum, and raided the office. They beat the editor-in-chief until he lost consciousness. El Tayyar journalist Abdallah Ishag said that the gunmen told the staff that they were members of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). File photo: Osman Mirghani Related:Media networks condemn ‘terrorist attack’ on El Tayyar, Sudan (25 July 2014) Editor-in-chief El Tayyar released from hospital in Sudan’s capital (24 July 2014) ‘Government responsible for attack on El Tayyar’: Sudan opposition (23 July 2014) Sudan: Editor-in-chief El Tayyar newspaper attacked (20 July 2014)Sudan security confiscates print run El Tayyar (6 July 2014)

The editor-in-chief of El Tayar daily newspaper who was attacked by a group of masked gunmen in his office in Khartoum last Saturday, said that the group claiming responsibility for the assault does not exist.

Osman Mirghani, El Tayar’s editor-in-chief, told Radio Dabanga on Friday that the group that attacked him and the newspaper’s staff, was made ​​up of 20 masked men in total. “Because of the use of heavy weapons, the assault is to be considered as a very serious crime.”

“The group that claimed responsibility for the attack, the so-called Hamza Combat Group against Atheism and Heresy, does not exist. It is an illusionary group, fabricated in an attempt to hide the real ones responsible. We all know which bodies carry arms in Sudan. Apart from batons and iron bars, the assailants carried automatic weapons. The origin of these heavy weapons can be easily identified.”

Mirghani denied that the reason behind the assault was his call for normalisation of relations with Israel. “The reasons are most likely to be found in El Tayar’s exposure of the widespread corruption within government institutions.”

He said that he had expected the assault, and accused some of his colleague editors at other newspapers of inciting the attack against him, “by creating a climate of hate in the media”.

On Saturday afternoon, a group of masked men in two Land Cruisers stopped in front of the premises of El Tayar newspaper in downtown Khartoum, and raided the office. They beat the editor-in-chief until he lost consciousness. El Tayar journalist Abdallah Ishag said that the gunmen told the staff that they were members of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS).

File photo: Osman Mirghani

Related:

Media networks condemn 'terrorist attack' on El Tayyar, Sudan (25 July 2014)

Editor-in-chief El Tayyar released from hospital in Sudan’s capital (24 July 2014)

‘Government responsible for attack on El Tayyar’: Sudan opposition (23 July 2014)

Sudan: Editor-in-chief El Tayyar newspaper attacked (20 July 2014)

Sudan security confiscates print run El Tayyar (6 July 2014)