Protests flare after man dies in Sudan intelligence custody

Protests erupted in Kassala; eastern Sudan, on Sunday after a young man died in the custody of the General Intelligence Service (GIS), allegedly due to torture, activists said.

Security operatives in eastern Sudan’s Kassala State said they had dispersed a group of young people who staged a protest in the town early Monday. The intelligence service emptied its headquarters in anticipation of escalation.

Demonstrators blocked major roads in Kassala and staged a sit-in at the public prosecutor’s office, demanding justice for 25-year-old Alamin Mohamed Nur, who was arrested on Friday and pronounced dead hours later.

In a joint statement, the Beni Amer and the Habab Youth said they had gathered to protest the killing of Al Amin Mohammed Nur, inside the security and intelligence buildings in Kassala after being tortured.

Protesters are refusing to receive Nur’s body for burial or end their demonstrations until the perpetrators are arrested and GIS leaders are dismissed.

A relative of the deceased told media outlets that Nur, a merchant, was arrested without cause. An autopsy report revealed bruises consistent with torture, he said.

Security forces fired shots to disperse protesters who surrounded the GIS headquarters in Kassala, witnesses said, though no injuries were reported.

The Bani Amer Youth Gathering, a local group, called for the dismissal of top GIS officials in the state and held them responsible for the death. The East Sudan Bar Association also demanded that those responsible be held accountable.

Sudan’s military led by army chief Adulfattah Al-Burhan and his security agencies have been accused of widespread arrests and abuses against civilians in areas under their control, particularly those suspected of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that has been battling the army since April 2023.

Ongoing aid access blocked by Al-Burhan forces have prevented UN humanitarians and partners from reaching some of the most vulnerable civilians in Sudan. The IOM said that a large number of civilians remain “trapped” in a “very hostile war environment” and with no access to health care services.