A former Sudanese politician wanted for alleged crimes against humanity, has said that he and other former officials, are no longer in jail, following reports of a break-out. Ahmed Haroun was among those being held in Kober prison, in the capital Khartoum who are facing charges by the International Criminal Court.
A ceasefire between warring factions seemed to be holding, but there are doubts about the commitment of the ceasefire to a lasting peace. The conflict, which began on April 15, arose from a bitter power struggle between the leaders of Sudan’s regular army and a rival paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces.
Reports came earlier this week of a prison break at Kober, where Ahmed Haroun was serving a sentence alongside Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s former president. Haroun confirmed in a statement aired on Sudan’s Tayba television that, he and other Bashir loyalists who served under him had left the jail, but said he would be ready to appear before the judiciary whenever it was functioning.
In an audio message circulating on social media, Haroun claimed the group was aided by prison guards and the Armed Forces. “We made a decision to protect ourselves due to lack of security, water, food and treatment, as well as the death of many prisoners in Kober,” Haroun averred.
Haroun was a key player in the Sudanese government’s brutal response to two long-running and still unresolved civil wars in Darfur, from 2003 to now and South Kordofan, from 2011. He was indicted by the International Criminal Court in 2007, for his alleged role in the atrocities in Darfur. A war which was regarded as the first genocide of the 21st Century, when Haroun was the Sudan’s Interior Minister.
He faces 20 counts of crimes against humanity, and 22 counts of war crimes, with charges including murder, rape, persecution and torture. He denied the charges.
A former UN coordinator for Sudan, Mukesh Kapila, described Haroun as “extremely dangerous” and “unreliable”, adding he had “many followers who have been lurking for the last two decades.” “This, plus other armed groups now coming out of the woodwork, really changes the dynamics in ways that are difficult to predict at the moment, but it’s really bad news,” Mukesh explained further.
Haroun was arrested in 2019, after veteran leader Bashir was ousted by the military amid mass protests. The country has experienced frequent unrest and several other coup attempts since then.
Omar al-Bashir had been serving a jail sentence for corruption. The 79-year-old is at a military hospital in police custody, having been moved there before the latest hostilities broke out, according to Sudan’s army. He is also accused by the International Criminal Court of leading a campaign of mass killing and rape in Sudan’s Darfur region, which he denies.
Army Blame RSF For Prison Raid
The Sudanese Army has accused the Rapid Support Forces of breaking into five prisons in the past few days. Among them, is the Kober prison where Omar al-Bashir was kept and recently move to a safer location, under police protection. Police claimed the raid led to the death of two prison waders, and the RSF released all those who were held there.
On the contrary, the Rapid Support Forces has denied any involvement of the prison raid, and insisted that the military “forcibly evacuated” the facility as part of a plan to restore Omar al-Bashir to power.
The Sudanese Army Spokesperson denied any involvement of the prison break saying, the military “does not have any supervision over prisons.” He said the army the working with the police to return the prisoners.
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