Sudan’s top Islamist politician sent to prison holding Bashir

Date:

Khartoum (Reuters) – Sudan’s most prominent Islamist politician was arrested on Wednesday after being summoned for questioning over former leader Omar al-Bashir’s rise to power in a 1989 coup, a senior official from his party said.

The investigation into Ali al-Haj, secretary general of the Islamist Popular Congress Party (PCP), is a significant step against the Islamist political networks that supported Bashir, who was overthrown in April.

The official, who declined to be named, told Reuters Haj reported to investigators on Wednesday evening after the public prosecution summoned him and was then arrested and transferred to Khartoum’s Kobar prison, where Bashir is also being held.

Authorities went to Ali al-Haj’s home on Wednesday to inform him he was being summoned for questioning by the public prosecution, Idris Suleiman, the party’s political secretary, told Reuters. There has been no official comment.

“Ali al-Haj is a political leader and not a military man to be charged over the 1989 coup and he was abroad when that coup happened,” Suleiman said.

Haj has not been questioned yet, the senior official said. It is unclear when he will be.

Some of Bashir’s aides were arrested after his overthrow.

PCP was founded by the late Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi, who was one of Sudan’s most influential political figures, after a dispute with the former ruling National Congress Party (NCP) led by Bashir. The party later became an ally of the NCP.

The Islamist party has complained of being sidelined in Sudan’s transitional political process following Bashir’s departure.

The current transitional government was formed in September after a power-sharing deal between anti-Bashir groups and the Transitional Military Council that ruled the country after Bashir’s overthrow.

(This story corrects to say Haj (not Bashir) has not been questioned in paragraph 6.)

Share post:

Popular

Recent
Related

For Kuwait’s new emir, Saudi ties are seen as key

Kuwait (Reuters) - Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah was named...

Pope Francis deplores Israeli killings of civilians at Gaza church

Vatican City (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday again...

Palestinians must find new path from Israeli rule after war, top official says

Ramallah (Reuters) - Immediately after Israel's war in Gaza...

Israel says it struck Hezbollah sites after attacks from Lebanon

Jerusalem/Beirut (Reuters) - Israel said on Sunday it had...