SAF ARRESTS MR. MAHANA IN TALODI, SUDAN

<p><b>No. H.K/UA/03/023 <br> 24th April 2023</b><br> <b>                                                                                      URGENT APPEAL</b><br> <b>                                                          SAF ARRESTS MR. MAHANA IN TALODI, SUDAN</b><br> On 19th April 2023, Mr. Mahana Hanai was brutally arrested by SAF soldiers in Talodi town. He<br> has been kept incommunicado at the military base which raised fear that he could be<br> undergoing torture. He was accused of smuggling fuel to South Sudan.<br> On 19th April 2023, Mr. Mahana Hanai was arrested by a group of Sudan Armed Force (SAF) soldiers.<br> At the time of arrest, Mr. Mahana was at a mechanical workshop fixing his tuktuk (motorbike) in Talodi<br> market. During the arrest, six (6) SAF soldiers from the group who came on two vehicles physically<br> assaulted Mr. Mahana, tied him with a rope and took him by their vehicle to Talodi military base. Since<br> then, he has been held incommunicado, family and lawyers are not allowed to visit him. He is suspected<br> to be undergoing torture.<br> One of the SAF soldiers informed his family members that, “<i>SAF accuses Mr. Mahana of smuggling</i><br> <i>fuel to South Sudan”.</i><br> One of the eyewitnesses informed HUDO Centre that; “<i>the arrest of Mr. Mahana was very brutal yet he</i><br> <i>did not resist the arrest. He was violently attacked and beaten by the soldiers</i>”.<br> <b>HUDO Centre is </b>deeply concerned about the security situation and the safety of civilians in conflict<br> areas and calls upon:<br> · SAF in Talodi to immediately release Mr. Mahana Hanai without any condition or to transfer<br> him to the courts of law if there is any case to answer.<br> · SAF in Talodi to stop arresting civilians.<br> · SAF in South Kordufan State/ Nuba Mountains to investigate the arrest of Mr. Mahana and the<br> conduct of soldiers during his arrest.<br> <br> <b>More information</b><br> Mr. Mahana Hanai (35 years old) is a tuktuk driver that used in a public transport.<br> Talodi town is the capital town in Talodi locality of South Kordufan State/ Nuba Mountains and it is about 60 km<br> from the nearest border of South Sudan.<br> Currently Sudan is experiencing severe fighting between Sudan Armed Force (SAF) and Rapid Support Force<br> (RSF). However, SAF soldiers in Talodi continue to mistreat civilians.<br> <b>The affected rights: </b>Personal Freedom and fair trial<br> · Article 46 and 52 of Sudan Transition Constitutional Document 2019<br> · Article 9 and 14 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights<o:p></o:p></p>