Sudan: Treatment of Umma party rank and file members since the coup d'etat of 30 June 1989
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SDN4506 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sudan: Treatment of Umma party rank and file members since the coup d'etat of 30 June 1989, 1 February 1990, SDN4506, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aba824.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to one report, the coup d'etat of 30 June 1989, "has meant imprisonment for all previous political leaders, and potential opposition forces." [ "The coup was a con trick," New African, December 1989, p. 22.] Shortly after the coup, diplomats in Khartoum were reportedly speculating that "the number of detentions of people associated with the former government could run into hundreds." The previous prime minister, Sadeq al-Mahdi, is the leader of the Umma Party. [ Alan Cowell, "Sudanese Coup Leader Offers Vote on Islamic Law," The New York Times, 2 July 1989, p. 10; Alfred Taban, "Fate of Former Sudanese Leader Still Unknown After Coup," Reuters, 2 July 1989.]
According to a December 1989 report from Reuters, the ruling military junta banned all political parties after it took power in June. [ "Sudan's Junta Frees Two Politicians, Paper Says," Reuters, 2 December 1989.] Two recent reports indicate that hundreds of Sudanese were arrested after the coup, and that thousands were dismissed from their jobs, but neither report mentions party affiliation. [ "Political Detainees in Sudan," News From Africa Watch, 22 January 1990; Holly Burkhalter, "To Isolate Sudan's Dangerous Leader," International Herald Tribune, 19 January 1990.]
In late August 1989, over 50 judges were fired by the military government, after they had complained about military investigative councils. The councils had been set up by the government to "gather information on alleged corruption" during the three years of the previous government under Mahdi. [ "57 judges fired in Sudan," The Globe and Mail, 26 August 1989, p. A7.]
On 4 December 1989, members of the pro-government National Islamic Front (NIF), killed a student after a debate at the University of Khartoum. Government forces fired on a procession of students attempting to retrieve the body of the dead student, killing two more. According to a January 1990 report in News From Africa Watch, this intervention was, "widely believed to serve notice to all political forces and to make it clear that the regime will not hesitate to crush opposition at any cost." [ "Political Detainees in Sudan".] While the connection between the NIF and the military government may be informal, The Economist states that, "Many suspect that [the government's] links with the fundamentalist [NIF] are closer than it admits." [ "Living with the haboob," The Economist, 16 September 1989, pp. 45-6.]
Sources consulted provide information on the arrest and detention of high level Umma officials but do not mention judicial action against rank and file members. [ See for example "Sudan: Sadiq al-Mahdi and other detainees set free," BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 20 November 1989; Neimat Bilal, "Sudan: Military Government Unveils `Salvation' Programme," BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 3 July 1989.]
