Seven more political detainees of the Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) including a journalist were released from the El Obeid prison in North Kordofan, the opposition party’s secretary general Abdul Qayom said Wednesday.

Qayom said that the release came 24 hours after party leader Ibrahim al-Sheikh went free.

Qayam told journalists in Khartoum that the freed persons include five SCP-affiliated students: two from the University of Khartoum, two from the University of Sudan, and one from the University of West Kordofan.

The released journalist is Hassan Isahaq of the Khartoum-based El-Jareeda daily newspaper.

Al-Sheikh was detained for 100 days for criticising the Rapid Support Forces, while Isahaq was in custody for three months for covering SCP activities in West Kordofan.

Qayam said the SCP Secretary, Sadiq Nourain of the University of West Kordofan in Khartoum, who stayed in Al-Obeid prison for eight months without trial, will also be released among other detained SCP officials.

He said the Sudanese authorities agreed to release the members of the SCP to prepare the atmosphere for National Dialogue, an initiative by President Omar al-Bashir.

File photo: Sudanese Congress Party Leader Ibrahim Al-Sheikh

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