Following news of a break-out, a former politician from Sudan who is wanted for alleged crimes against humanity has claimed that he and other ex-officials are no longer in jail.
 |
| Image Source - Google | Image by <br><a href= BBC News |
By Mehran Mazari
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has accused several people, including Ahmed Haroun, who is being imprisoned at the Kober jail in the capital Khartoum.
The combat between military factions seems to be mostly under control.
However, there are concerns about either side's dedication to a robust peace.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a rival paramilitary organization, and the leaders of Sudan's regular army engaged in a fierce power struggle that started the conflict, which started on April 15.
Reports of a jail breach in Kober, where Omar al-Bashir and Ahmed Haroun were both incarcerated, surfaced earlier this week.
In a statement carried on Sudan's Tayba TV on Tuesday, Haroun revealed that he and other Bashir loyalists who worked for him had left the jail. He also indicated that he would be prepared to testify in court whenever it was in session.
Haroun asserted that jail personnel and the military had helped the group escape in an audio clip making the rounds on social media.
According to Haroun, who works for the Bashir-affiliated daily newspaper al-Sudani, "We made a decision to protect ourselves due to lack of security, water, food, and treatment, as well as the death of many prisoners in Kober."
Haroun played a significant role in the ruthless response of the Sudanese government to two ongoing civil wars, Darfur (from 2003) and South Kordofan (since 2011).
When he served as the nation's interior minister, he is accused of taking part in the horrors in Darfur, which have been called the first genocide of the twenty-first century and was indicted by the ICC in 2007.
He is accused of murder, rape, torture, and 22 counts of war crimes in addition to 20 counts of crimes against humanity. He rejects the accusations.
Haroun is "extremely dangerous" and "unreliable," according to Mukesh Kapila, a former UN coordinator for Sudan. He also said that Haroun has "many followers who have been lurking for the last two decades."
"This, plus other armed groups now coming out of the woodwork, really changes the dynamics in ways that are difficult to predict at the moment - but it's really bad news," he said on the Newshour program of the BBC World Service.
After the military overthrew seasoned leader Bashir amid widespread protests in 2019, Haroun was detained. Since then, there have been numerous coup attempts as well as recurrent instability in the nation.
Bashir, who is 79 years old, was incarcerated for corruption. According to the Sudanese army, he was transferred there before the most recent conflicts started and is now in police custody at a military hospital.
Additionally, he is charged by the ICC with organizing a campaign of rape and mass murder in Sudan's Darfur region, which he vigorously denies.
The RSF is accused by the Sudanese interior ministry of breaking into five jails in recent days, including Kober, where Bashir had already fled.
According to the police, the raid resulted in the deaths of two prison guards, and the RSF freed everyone who was being imprisoned there.
The RSF has refuted the accusations, asserting that the military "forcibly evacuated" the building as part of a strategy to reinstate Bashir as president.
A military spokeswoman said the military "does not have any supervision over prisons" and denied any involvement. He claimed that in order to repatriate prisoners to jails, the military and police worked together.
However, a large portion of Sudanese would think that this is just the most recent instance of Gen. Burhan, the country's military commander, attempting to put Bashir's Islamist lieutenants back in the foreground of Sudanese politics.
Several nations have been able to remove their citizens from Sudan thanks to the country's current truce. A boat carrying more than 1,600 individuals from numerous nations has now arrived in Saudi Arabia, while other evacuation aircraft taking UK citizens from Sudan have landed in Cyprus.
 |
| Image Source - Google | Image by <br><a href= BBC News |
Both Germany and France claim that all of their citizens have already departed the nation.
The UN's special envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, who is currently there, stated on Tuesday that the 72-hour cease-fire in hostilities appeared to be holding.
However, reports of gunfire and explosions in Khartoum and the adjoining city of Omdurman persisted.
According to Mr. Perthes, "There is still no clear indication that either [side] is prepared to engage in serious negotiations, indicating that both believe achieving a military victory over the other is feasible."
The ceasefire, which went into effect on Monday at midnight local time (22:00 GMT), is the most recent effort to stabilize the nation since fighting first broke out almost two weeks ago.
The battle has claimed the lives of at least 459 individuals so far, however, many believe that number to be significantly lower.
The UN has issued a warning that this is likely to continue as thousands more people are said to have left Sudan. Even though fuel and bus tickets are becoming increasingly expensive, lines of buses and other vehicles are still leaving Khartoum.
With an estimated 24,000 pregnant women now living in Khartoum who are due to give birth in the upcoming weeks, there is also concern for those who have been left behind.
In addition, Mr. Perthes claimed that numerous residences, hospitals, and other public buildings in Khartoum's residential neighborhoods close to the army headquarters and airport had been destroyed or damaged as a result of the battle.
