No. H.K/UA/06/023
Date: 16th May 2023
URGENT ACTION
SAF SOLDIERS ARRESTED TWO TRADERS AND CONFISCATED THEIR GOODS
IN ABU-JIBAIHA, SUDAN
On 10th May 2023 Sudan Armed Force (SAF) soldiers in Abu-Jibaiha brutally
arrested two
traders and confiscated their goods. This happened when the traders were
travelling from
Abu-Jibaiha to Tembaira. SAF accused them of being affiliated (connected) to
SPLA-N. The
traders are still held incommunicado at Abu-Jibaiha military base.
On 10th May 2023, SAF soldiers at the checkpoint of Jebel Elomda in Abu-Jibaiha
stopped a
travelling agricultural tractor which was from Abu-Jibaiha town going to
Tembaira village. The tractor
was pulling its trailer/bed with passengers and goods on it. SAF soldiers
forced all the people
traveling with the tractor to go to the military base of Abu-Jibaiha.
While at the military base, the soldiers tied Mr. Abdo Osman Komi with ropes
and started to beat
(kicked) him. They also arrested another trader by names of Mr. Ahmed
Abdelkarim Ibrahim and they
confiscated their goods. Thereafter, the soldiers allowed the tractor and other
passengers (apart from
those two) to continue with their journey. The confiscated items are: ten (10)
sacks of sorghum, ten
(10) Iron sheets and three (3) ironic pipes.
According to the testimony of the other released passengers (witnesses); SAF
arrested the two
traders while accusing them to be members of Sudan People Liberation Movement/
Army – North
(SPLM/A-N). They also accused them (traders) of carrying goods (merchandises)
without obtaining
the pass permission for taking them to SPLA-N areas/ territory (where Tembaira
located).
HUDO Centre is very concerned about the safety of civilians in Sudan
especially during this period of
general conflict/ war and calls upon:
· Sudan Armed Forces (SAF)
in Abu-Jibaiha to immediate release Mr. Abdo Osman Komi and
Mr. Ahmed Abdelkarim Ibrahim with their goods without any conditions or to
refer them to the
courts of law if there is a case to answer.
· The SAF commandant in
South Kordufan State/ Nuba Mountains to investigate the
circumstances around those traders arrested by SAF in Abu-Jibaiha and makes the
findings
public.
· The Sudanese Armed
Forces (SAF) to stop the arrest of civilians.
More information
Mr. Abdo Osman Komi is 47 years old (known by the nickname of Kabashour) and
Mr. Ahmed Abdelkarim Ibrahim is 50
years old. They are both traders at Abu-Jibaiha market and they usually attend
different weekly markets including
Tembaira.
Abu-Jibaiha is the main town of Abu-Jibaiha locality in South Kordufan State
within the government controlled territory.
Tembaira is located in Haiban locality of South Kordufan State but within SPLA-N
controlled territory. Tembaira is
approximately 80 km southwest of Abu-Jibaiha.
Tembaira has been holding a weekly market. Since 2019, the weekly market is
attended by people from both government
and SPLM/N controlled areas/ territories.
The agricultural tractor with trailer is the commonly used means of transport
in South Kordufan especially during the rainy
season due to poor roads.
Since 15th April 2023, military confrontation (fighting) broke out between SAF
and RSF in Khartoum and other states
which caused serious damage among civilians, hundreds of deaths, thousands of
injuries and hundred thousand were
displaced.
However, South Kordufan State was less affected but SAF continues to mistreat
civilians for instance;
· Earlier, on 29th March
2023, SAF soldiers arrested Mr. Ahmed Abduelkarim (one of the reported
detainees) for
some hours in Abu-Jibaiha market and threatened to kill him. Even then, the
reason SAF gave was that, he is a
member of SPLA-N.
· On 19th April 2023, Mr.
Mahana Hanai was brutally arrested in Talodi, he was kept incommunicado up to
25th April
2023 when he was released.
· On 4th May 2023, Mr.
Ahmed Fadul was arrested by a group of Sudanese Armed Force (SAF) soldiers in
Aleri
Ghareb/ West. He was accused of insulting the Sudanese Armed Forces. Up to date
he is held incommunicado at
the military base.
The affected rights: personal freedom, free trial and freedom of
expression.
· Articles 46, 52 and 57
of the constitutional document for the transitional period in Sudan for the
year 2019,
· Articles 9, 14 and 19 of
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Articles 9, 11 and
19 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.