Sudanese rights group warns of torture fears after arrests in Blue Nile

The Human Rights and Development Organisation (HUDO Centre) says detainees arrested in Roseires are being denied access to lawyers and relatives amid a widening security crackdown.

At least eight civilians have been arrested in Roseires in Sudan’s Blue Nile state, by the Joint Security Cell (JSC) and are being held without access to lawyers or family members, according to a statement by the Human Rights and Development Organisation (HUDO Centre) this week, which fears they may be subjected to torture.

In an urgent appeal dated 19 October, HUDO Centre says the arrests took place between 12 and 17 October on suspicion of collaboration with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N), led by Abdelaziz El Hilu. Citing credible sources, it says the detainees are being held at a security facility inside the 4th Infantry Division in Damazin, the state capital.

Those arrested include El Rayah Younis Babiker, 54, an employee of the Humanitarian Aid Commission and brother of an SPLA-N leader, and Bakri Mahmoud, 42, an employee of the state Land Administration who was previously detained for more than three months before being acquitted by a court.

Others include construction worker El Baqir Saad, 45, driver El Fateh Awad El Nour, 33, and Elgeily Abdalla Jabir Bamsika, 32, a Sudanese Red Crescent volunteer. The remaining detainees are Jubara Abdalla, finance ministry employee Elsir Mohammed Eltour, 42, and his relative Abduelbasit Kamal Mohammed Eltour, 28.

HUDO Centre says Saad’s arrest was linked to his work on a house belonging to Ahmed Shambal, whom it identifies as a member of El Hilu’s SPLA-N faction. The organisation gives no reason for Jubara Abdalla’s arrest.

A community leader told HUDO Centre that all eight detainees belong to the Hamag tribe, which the organisation says is also the tribe of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mac Abu-Shotal.

The organisation links the intensification of arrests in Blue Nile to the occupation of Guisan and Kurmuk localities by TASIS. It says civilians have been targeted because of their tribal affiliations, family relationships, or connections to armed-group leaders.

HUDO Centre urges Sudanese authorities to ensure the detainees’ safety, prevent torture and other ill-treatment, and grant them immediate access to lawyers, medical care, and family visits. It calls for the release of those arbitrarily detained or their appearance before an independent and competent court, as well as impartial investigations into alleged abuses.

It also calls on the international community, United Nations mechanisms, and human rights organisations to press the Sudanese authorities to establish the detainees’ whereabouts and welfare and prevent further violations.