Sudanupdated 11m ago3 min read
Archive photoSudan Army Arrests Ahmed Haroun, ICC-Wanted Bashir-Era Official
“no official statement confirming his arrest has been issued by the authorities, the prosecution, the justice minister, the attorney-general, or the police.”
“Sudan’s military authorities on Sunday once again detained a former senior Islamist official who is wanted by the International Criminal Court”
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Sudanese military authorities re-detained Ahmed Haroun, ICC-wanted Bashir-era official. Haroun previously led the National Congress Party during Omar al-Bashir's rule.
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Haroun detained in Sudan
Sudan’s authorities arrested Ahmed Haroun, the head of the ruling National Congress Party during the era of deposed President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, and the BBC said there had been no official comment from the Sudanese government on the motives for the arrest as of the time of its report. Ibrahim Al-Siddig said authorities stopped Haroun in Kassala in eastern Sudan as he was preparing to depart to Atbara in the north of the country, adding that the party had prior information that authorities were moving to take this step. Haroun’s defense team urged Sudanese authorities to immediately disclose his place of detention and the legal basis for his arrest, and to provide access to the procedures taken against him.
The BBC further reported that lawyer Muzz Hazara said Haroun cannot be released on ordinary bail and that “his proper place is in prison,” while he also said criminal cases had been filed that could carry the death penalty if convicted under Sudanese criminal law. The Peninsula Qatar reported that a security official told AFP in Khartoum that Haroun was “taken into custody based on legal procedures,” and the same AFP account said the arrest took place in Khartoum on Sunday.
Competing claims and doubts
Dabanga Radio TV Online said politicians and activists questioned widespread reports that Ahmed Haroun had been arrested, and it said no official statement confirming his arrest had been issued by the authorities, the prosecution, the justice minister, the attorney-general, or the police. Dabanga Radio TV Online said the reports emerged after Haroun’s appearance in a recorded interview with Sudan Podcast on Friday, and it added that Haroun remained at liberty after leaving Kober Prison in Khartoum during the early days of the war. Yasser Arman, a leader in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, wrote that “Ahmed Haroun sat addressing people from the ICC’s balcony, lecturing the hungry,” and he said informed sources indicated the interview took place at the Salam Rotana.
Khalid Omar Youssef, a leading figure in the Sudanese civil democratic coalition Sumud, described the events as “a crude, transparent, and badly staged farce,” and he said El Burhan did not discover Haroun’s presence by chance. Africanews reported that Sudan’s military authorities detained Ahmed Haroun again in Omdurman, the sister city of the capital, Khartoum, and it said two defense lawyers told it that Haroun’s whereabouts were unknown.
ICC pressure and next steps
The BBC said the ICC issued a warrant for Haroun in April 2007 containing 42 charges related to war crimes and crimes against humanity alleged to have been committed in Darfur during his tenure in various government positions in the era of the ousted president. The BBC also said the United States had previously offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Haroun’s arrest, and it reported that Haroun had been missing since the outbreak of the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023. The Citizen Digital account said Sudan detained Haroun for the second time, and it reported that the ICC wants Haroun on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur, including murder, rape, persecution, forced transfer of the population, and torture, at least between 2003 and 2004.
The Citizen Digital account also said Haroun denies the charges, and it reported that lawyers linked the detention to a recent podcast comment that his party and the military might not be aligned but are united against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Justice is achieved only through the law, and equity before it.