Sudan detains two prominent figures critical of military rule

File photo: Khalid Omer Yousif

Sudanese security agents on Wednesday arrested two prominent figures including an ex-minister from the opposition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC).

Sudanese security agents on Wednesday arrested two prominent figures including an ex-minister from the opposition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC).

The arrests mark an extension of a crackdown on critics of the military and follow those of dozens of activists linked to a protest movement against the October 25 coup.

The two political figures detained, Khalid Omer Yousif and Wagdi Salih, had previously been involved in a task force that seized property and fired bureaucrats linked to the regime of Omar al-Bashir, who fell to a popular uprising in April 2019.

Yousif also served as a minister of cabinet affairs in a civilian government under a power-sharing agreement between the military and the FFC.

The reasons for their arrest were not immediately clear.

The arrests come a day after the two men joined an FFC delegation for talks with UN special representative Volker Perthes, as part of efforts launched last month hoped to resolve the deepening crisis.

Leading FFC figure Yasser Arman said the latest arrests “will affect the UN process.”

Youssef and Saleh were among the figures who were detained immediately after the coup before they were released weeks later.

Since the coup, the authorities have launched a deadly crackdown on regular mass anti-coup protests, leaving at least 79 people killed and hundreds wounded, according to independent medics.

The October military power grab, the latest coup in Sudan since independence, has sparked wide international condemnation and punitive measures.