In Sudan, former dictator Omar al-Bashir, overthrown by the army five years ago, was transferred last week to Merowe, more than 400 km from the capital Khartoum, according to his legal team.
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Omar al-Bashir was sent on September 19 from his prison north of Omdurman to Merowe hospital in neighboring Northern State.
According to one of his lawyers, his transfer was requested by his legal team for medical reasons. He is said to be suffering from complications due to his age, 80, requiring treatment that is not available at his previous place of detention, the Wadi Seedna military base.
Medical reasons
Two of his colleagues were transferred at the same time: the former Minister of Defense and the former Minister of Sports. Three weeks earlier, the former vice-president had also been sent to the same hospital 450 km from Khartoum.
These are purely medical reasons, says a Sudanese journalist, as the war between the two belligerents enters its 17th month.
The former head of state is still being prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Also readSudan: Five years after his dismissal, where is former president Omar al-Bashir?
In 2019, while the Sudanese had been protesting for months against the regime of Omar al-Bashir, the man who had ruled the country since 1989 was overthrown by the army and arrested. Targeted by two arrest warrants from the ICC, he was never extradited and remained in prison in Sudan.
Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a war between the army of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of another general, Mohamed Hamdane Dogolo, known as “Hemedti.”
The conflict has left tens of thousands dead and some 26 million people facing severe food insecurity.