Africa

February 9, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - The National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Saturday evening has released all journalists arrested during the popular protests.

Members of Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN) hold banners outside the National Council for Press and Publication (NCPP) premises in Khartoum in protest against repeated seizure of newspapers, on May 26, 2015 (ST photo)

Protests that first erupted on 19 December over a government decision to triple the price of bread have swiftly escalated into nationwide rallies, with protesters calling on President Omer al-Bashir to step down.

A government fact-finding commission has recorded 31 deaths while Human Rights Watch said over 50 people have been killed. Also, thousands of protesters have been arrested.

Reliable sources told Sudan Tribune that more than 16 journalists have been arrested during the course of the protests.

According to multiple sources, among the released journalists are Iman Osman, Qurashi Awad, Adel Kalar, Mohamed Babiker, Ali Al-Dali and Kamal Karar.

In his meeting with the Chief-Editors of the newspaper last week, President al-Bashir issued a decision to release all detained journalists.

(ST)

February 9, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - The director of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Salah Abdallah (aka Gosh) said all regular forces are backing President Omer al-Bashir.

Deadly protests have rocked Sudan since December 19, with demonstrators holding nationwide rallies calling on al-Bashir to resign.

The government said 31 people have died in the protests, while other credible reports including from Human Rights Watch says at least 51 people have been killed.

On Saturday Gosh briefed the NISS officers in Khartoum on the situation in the country saying the only way to achieve change in Sudan is through the ballot box.

He pointed out that they wouldn't allow the country to slide into chaos, stressing all regular forces are backing the “legitimacy” (i.e. President al-Bashir).

Gosh also said Sudan is for all Sudanese, underscoring that favouritism wouldn't be tolerated during the coming period.

The chief-spy renewed his call for "thinking outside of the box" in order to address the real issues and objective demands of the youths and the new generation.

Gosh's statements come after Western reports about a U.S plan to speed up al-Bashir's departure because he has been weakened by the nearly two-month protests and to replace him by the current head of the spy agency.

Last month, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) announced its full support to al-Bashir saying it wouldn't hand over the country to the “homeless”.

At the time, SAF's Chief of General Staff Kamal Abdel-Marouf echoed Gosh's words saying they wouldn't allow the country to collapse or slip into the unknown.

He accused those leading the protests of being hostile to Sudan, saying they had always sought to distort the country's world image.

(ST)

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