Sudan: hospitalised former president sent back to prison

The Sudanese authorities have transferred ousted President Omar Al-Bashir from hospital back to Kober Prison, sources close to his family have revealed. They described the transfer as “political imprisonment”.

The sources pointed out that the court session dealing with charges relating to the 1989 coup led by Al-Bashir did not address a transfer to prison, and no judicial decision was issued in this respect. The former president has been recovering for months from some health issues that required hospitalisation.

The sources pointed out that a number of Al-Bashir’s aides, who were leaders of the National Congress Party, were also transferred back to prison after many months in private hospitals.

Although Al-Bashir is still on trial, along with several his former ministers, he does not attend the court sessions, said the Sudan Tribune. He was filmed a few months ago walking between different rooms at a hospital in Khartoum and talking with patients with no apparent restrictions on his movement, even though he was still technically a prisoner.

Al-Bashir is also being tried on several charges, including corruption, amid pressure from the International Criminal Court to extradite him and try him for war crimes alleged to have been committed in Darfur.

The Sudanese army ousted Al-Bashir on 11 April, 2019, after several weeks of protests against his government due to the high price of bread. Senior army officers are accused of providing protection to the leaders of the former regime. However, for the first time since assuming his position, the head of the Sovereignty Council, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, warned the National Congress Party not to hide behind the Armed Forces. He also demanded that the party should stay away from the army and not use it as a means to return to power.

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