Sudan: Omar Al-Bashir moved to military hospital

File photo: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, left, waves a walking stick as he tours in a vehicle with the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, at the RSF headquarters in Umm al-Qura in South Darfur State on September 23, 2017 AFP

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Deposed Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir was moved to an army hospital after heavy fighting broke out leading to a jailbreak last week, military officials said, amid speculations that the former strongman managed to escape from prison during the unprecedented melee.

Fighting broke out between the Sudan Armed Forces [SAF] and the paramilitary wing Rapid Support Forces [RSF] with both claiming to be interested in restoring civilian rule in the country. It is during the battles that a number of inmates managed to escape, leading to speculations about the whereabouts of the former leader.

In a statement, the army said that al-Bashir and 30 other prisoners were moved to Aliyaa Hospital which handles patients in the forces, abruptly ending his stay at Kober prison in Bahri in northern Khartoum where he was being held with several other former government officials.

“Former President Bashir’s family members said they are waiting for the fighting to end so he can go to trial and prove his innocence,” said Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum.

The release of about 25,000 convicted criminals added to a growing sense of lawlessness in Khartoum, where residents have reported worsening insecurity with widespread looting and gangs roaming the streets.

The former president was overthrown in 2019 following a civilian uprising that saw the military quickly intervene. But surprisingly, the military through the Transitional Sovereign Council has failed to agree with civilians to restore order and democracy which was the cardinal reason for an uprising.

“They said once there is a system in place, they will hand themselves in for justice because they are innocent of the charges against them,” Morgan said.

Ahmed Haroun, a senior official in Al-Bashir’s government, released a statement on Tuesday saying he stands by the people of Sudan in the current “conflict of power”, which he alleged is backed by regional and international states.

Al-Bashir is also wanted by the International Criminal Court [ICC] for atrocities committed in Darfur which led to the death of thousands of people before intervention by the United Nations. Apparently, the RSF, then called Janjaweed, was directly involved in the massacre of people in Darfur.

Both parties declared a ceasefire on Tuesday to allow humanitarian assistance and on Thursday, there was a likelihood of increasing the timeline for the cessation of hostilities. The international community has called on the warring parties to embrace mediation for the sake of peace and stability.

GAROWE ONLINE