Imprisoned Sudanese opposition figure Ibrahim al-Sheikh rejected a deal for him and his supporters to be released from jail if he apologized for criticizing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of the Sudanese Armed Forces.

The offer was made to the Sudan Congress Party leader on the first day of Eid al-Fitr by West Kordofan deputy governor Abdul Rahman Mohamed Mekki, En Nahud Commissioner Salah Hamoda, and other local politicians in a closed door session at En Nahud Prison, where al-Sheikh has been held since 8 June.

On 10 June Sudan’s government also arrested six other SCP members and sympathizers, who have since gone on a hunger strike.  Their supporters say they have been tortured while in custody.

The crackdown on the SCP followed a rally in Freedom Square in En Nahud town where al-Sheikh gave a speech condemning alleged abuses by the RSF, which fights alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces against rebels in South Kordofan.

al-Sheikh described the RSF as the Janjaweed—a term for pro-government militia accused of war crimes in Darfur—with a new name, and blamed Sudan’s government for violence in Darfur and South Kordofan. 

The government responded by charging him with undermining the constitutional order by spreading harmful lies.

Photo: People protest in front of En Nahud court against Ibrahim al-Sheikh’s hearing, 12 June 2014 (Courtesy Radio Dabanga)

For breaking news updates from Radio Tamazuj ‘like’ our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or subscribe to our RSS feed.