Sudan army detains Ahmed Haroun in Khartoum
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Radio Tamazuj
Sudan’s army has arrested Ahmed Haroun, former leader of the National Congress Party, in Khartoum, according to a party official cited by Radio Tamazuj. Wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes in Darfur, Haroun had reappeared publicly two days earlier after the start of the 2023 war, Radio Tamazuj reports.
The Sudanese army has arrested Ahmed Haroun, president of the former National Congress Party (NCP), in Khartoum, a party official told Radio Tamazuj on Sunday. Military intelligence agents carried out his arrest, according to the official.
Haroun, an Islamist official wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes in Darfur, had made his first public appearance two days earlier since the start of the war in Sudan in April 2023. In a four-hour televised interview, he discussed relations between Islamists and the military leadership, the creation of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the ongoing conflict and prospects for peace, Radio Tamazuj reports.
Haroun rejected the idea that Islamists were responsible for starting the war, saying they joined the fighting after the military leadership called for popular mobilisation against the RSF. He also said that the NCP and the Sudanese Armed Forces could differ politically while being united on the battlefield, according to Radio Tamazuj.
The day after his arrest, Sudanese political figure Khalid Omar Yousif, vice-president of the Sudanese Congress Party and a member of the Somoud coalition, described the arrest as an attempt to divert criticism prompted by Haroun’s public appearance, according to Radio Tamazuj.
