Sudan arrests opposition leader

The Sudanese authorities have arrested opposition leader Sadiq Al-Mahdi. The head of the National Umma Party was detained on Saturday evening.

Al-Madi’s information office told Sky News Arabic that “a group of officers came to his office and took him to an unknown destination without giving any reason for the arrest”.

Sudan’s public prosecutor interrogated Al-Mahdi on Thursday on charges of crimes against the state because of remarks in which he accused a counter-insurgency unit of killing, looting and rape in Darfur.

The Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service affiliated with the unit named by Al-Mahdi, made a counter-accusation that he is guilty of slander, publishing false news, disturbing the public peace.