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Sudanese Bury Man Apparently Tortured during Detention

Sudanese mourners attend the funeral of Bahaa el-Din Nouri at the cemetery of Kalakla, a district in southern Khartoum, on December 29, 2020. (AFP)
Sudanese mourners attend the funeral of Bahaa el-Din Nouri at the cemetery of Kalakla, a district in southern Khartoum, on December 29, 2020. (AFP)
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Sudanese Bury Man Apparently Tortured during Detention

Sudanese mourners attend the funeral of Bahaa el-Din Nouri at the cemetery of Kalakla, a district in southern Khartoum, on December 29, 2020. (AFP)
Sudanese mourners attend the funeral of Bahaa el-Din Nouri at the cemetery of Kalakla, a district in southern Khartoum, on December 29, 2020. (AFP)

Thousands of Sudanese on Tuesday attended the funeral service of a man who was apparently tortured to death this month at a detention center run by the Rapid Support Forces.

Bahaa el-Din Nouri, 45, was snatched Dec. 16 while sitting at a coffee shop in Khartoum by men wearing plain clothes and riding in a vehicle without license plates. His death sparked outrage across Sudan.

Five days later, his body appeared at a hospital morgue in the city of Omdurman, just across the Blue Nile River from Khartoum. The family refused to take the body for immediate burial after seeing signs of apparent beating and torture, and asked for an autopsy to reveal the cause of death.

Culture and Information Minister Faisal Mohammed Saleh said Nouri died while being while being interrogated by the Rapid Support Forces, a force comprised of former militiamen who executed a brutal crackdown in Sudan’s Darfur region in 2000s.

Public Prosecutor Taj al-Ser Ali al-Hebr said late Monday the autopsy confirmed that the 42-year-old electrician died of injuries consistent with being tortured, and he has taken “the necessary measures” to have those implicated in Nouri’s death handed over to prosecutors.

Sudanese Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces, said he has removed immunity for any RSF members under suspicion to allow the prosecutors’ investigation to go forward unhindered. Dagalo is also the deputy head of the ruling sovereign council.

The RSF did not give reasons for Nouri's detention. However, a report by Sudan’s Monti-Caroo news website, which covers RSF activities, said he was being interrogated over allegations of belonging to a “terrorist group trading in explosives.” The report did not provide further details.

On Tuesday, thousands of Sudanese held a protest march from the morgue to the cemetery for Nouri’s burial in Khartoum. On their way, they stopped at RSF headquarters in Khartoum and screamed chants against the paramilitary force and called for suspects to be held accountable.

Nouri’s death sparked outcry across the country. The Sudanese Professionals’ Association, which helped spearhead mass protests that led to the military’s ouster of president Omar al-Bashir last year, called for the closure of all detention centers run by the RSF.

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Sudan's al-Burhan: There Are No Preconditions for Dialogue

Al-Burhan delivers his speech at the United Nations in New York, September 26, 2024. (EPA)
Al-Burhan delivers his speech at the United Nations in New York, September 26, 2024. (EPA)
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Sudan's al-Burhan: There Are No Preconditions for Dialogue

Al-Burhan delivers his speech at the United Nations in New York, September 26, 2024. (EPA)
Al-Burhan delivers his speech at the United Nations in New York, September 26, 2024. (EPA)

Sudanese Armed Forces Chief and Sovereign Council Chairman General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), of betrayal for rejecting agreements reached during the Jeddah talks, which were brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Burhan emphasized that he is not setting preconditions but is calling for the implementation of previous agreements between the two sides.

His remarks on Friday came amid intense diplomatic moves during the 79th UN General Assembly in New York. Saudi Arabia announced that its aid to Sudan had exceeded $3 billion, while the United States urged for humanitarian ceasefires, especially in the Darfur region.

At a press conference following his participation in the UN meetings, Burhan said that Sudan is facing a conspiracy involving internal political forces and some regional and international powers, aiming to change the government through armed force.

When asked by Asharq Al-Awsat whether he would negotiate with Hemedti without preconditions based on the Jeddah Agreement, Burhan reiterated that what he seeks is the execution of what was already agreed upon in Jeddah.

He stressed that the parties and mediators had agreed on specific military and security measures, including leadership and budget details. Burhan insisted that until these agreements are implemented, there will be no further negotiations with those who "betray their promises."

The head of the sovereign country dismissed international accusations that both he and Hemedti are putting personal interests above the nation’s well-being. He asserted that the conflict is not a battle between two generals but a war against the Sudanese people and state.

Sudan was a focal point during the UN meetings, with a ministerial session titled, "The Cost of Inaction: Urgent and Collective Support to Scale Up the Humanitarian Response in Sudan and the Region."

The session, led by Saudi Arabia, the US, Egypt, the African Union, and the EU, called for an end to the war and expanded humanitarian efforts in Sudan and neighboring regions.

Joyce Msuya, acting coordinator for UN emergency relief, emphasized the need for a coordinated diplomatic push to improve humanitarian access and streamline the delivery of aid across borders and conflict lines. She urged member states to support increasing aid through Chad’s Adré crossing and extending its operation beyond the initial three-month period. In light of funding shortages, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund allocated $25 million to address famine and acute food insecurity in Sudan.

For her part, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield called for humanitarian pauses in the fighting, particularly in El-Fasher and Khartoum, to allow aid delivery and civilian evacuation.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRELIEF), revealed that Saudi Arabia’s aid to Sudan has surpassed $3 billion. He highlighted that the center had intensified its efforts after the outbreak of the conflict, implementing more than 70 humanitarian projects worth over $73 million in collaboration with UN agencies and other organizations.

Al-Rabeeah further stressed that the challenges posed by Sudan's crisis require collective efforts to provide unrestricted humanitarian assistance and sustainable, coordinated responses to ensure safe access to affected areas.