Sudan: Govt Arrests Leading Southern Politicians

Residents of Juba, Southern Sudan, registering to vote.
7 December 2009

The Sudanese government arrested leading figures of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) during a protest outside the National Assembly in Khartoum on Monday, news services report.

The Sudan Tribune said those arrested included SPLM secretary-general Pagan Amum, his deputy, Yassir Arman, and a minister in Sudan's coalition government, Abbas Goma’a.

The SPLM is the ruling party in Southern Sudan, and the Tribune said the protest was held to protest against the failure of the government to pass legislation to reform the law ahead of next year's national election and the January 2011 referendum on independence for the south.

Police declared the protest illegal but Agence France-Presse reported that by mid-morning, "several hundred opposition protesters trailed by armed police were marching on the streets of Khartoum and Omdurman, waving placards and chanting 'We want our freedom.'"

The Tribune reported that police beat demonstrators and onlookers with batons as Arman was driven away chanting "freedom."

Speaking from a police station on a cellphone, Arman reportedly told Al Jazeera television news that the authorities had given permission for the protest. Al Jazeera said its crew was stopped from covering the protest.

The Tribune said the government ban on the protest was a reversal of its previous position, which was to allow people "any manifestation that is in accordance with the laws to express their opinion.”

Eyewitnesses told the news service that thousands of heavily-armed policemen took up positions on the streets of Khartoum on Monday morning. Amum was quoted as saying demonstrations would escalate if election reforms were not passed into law.

AllAfrica publishes around 400 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.