KHARTOUM:Sudanese security forces have arrested two prominent rebels and an oppositionleader, their aides said yesterday, just days after a bloody crackdown crushedhopes for a swift democratic transition. The three men were arrested aftermeeting Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Khartoum Friday as he sought torevive talks between Sudan's ruling generals and protest leaders on thecountry's transition. That came days after men in military fatigues smashed upa weeks-long protest sit-in on Monday, leaving dozens of demonstrators dead.
Witnesses say theassault was led by the feared Rapid Support Forces, who have their origins inthe notorious Janjaweed militia, accused of abuses in the Darfur conflictbetween 2003 and 2004. Yesterday, RSF members and soldiers cleared majorKhartoum streets of roadblocks put up by protesters. Demonstrators had usedtyres, tree trunks and rocks to erect the makeshift barricades, which thegenerals had warned would not be tolerated.
Sudan's militarycouncil seized power in April after ousting longtime dictator Omar Al-Bashir onthe back of months-long protests against his three-decade rule. Since then, ithas resisted calls from protesters and Western nations to transfer power to acivilian administration. Several rounds of talks with the demonstrators finallybroke down in mid-May. In a bid to revive the negotiations, the Ethiopianpremier flew to Khartoum on Friday and held separate meetings with the twosides.
"The army,the people and political forces have to act with courage and responsibility bytaking quick steps towards a democratic and consensual transitionalperiod," Abiy said in a statement after the meetings. "The army hasto protect the security of the country and its people and political forces haveto think about the future of the country."
But three membersof an opposition delegation that met the Ethiopian premier were later arrested,their aides said yesterday. Opposition politician Mohamed Esmat was detainedFriday, while Ismail Jalab, a leader of the rebel Sudan People's LiberationMovement-North (SPLM-N), was taken from his home overnight. "A group ofarmed men came in vehicles at 3:00 am (1:00 GMT) and took away Ismail Jalab...without giving any reason," one of his aides, Rashid Anwar, told AFP. Hesaid SPLM-N spokesman Mubarak Ardol was also detained.
Esmat and Jalabare both leading members of the Alliance for Freedom and Change, an umbrella ofopposition parties and some rebel groups. The Alliance was a key organizer ofmass protests since December that led to Bashir's ouster. The arrests threatento further complicate efforts to reconcile the protest movement and thegenerals. Following Monday's brutal crackdown, chances of a quick democratictransition appear remote as protest leaders now insist that talks with thegenerals can resume only under certain conditions.
"TheTransitional Military Council has to admit the crime it committed," OmarAl-Digeir, a prominent protest leader told reporters on Friday after meetingAbiy. He called for all military forces to be removed from streets across thecountry and demanded an international probe into "the massacre at thesit-in". Digeir said the military council should also restore access to theInternet and allow public and media freedoms.
Britain'sambassador to Khartoum Irfan Siddiq tweeted that "in diplomacy, dialogueis everything and pre-conditions for dialogue are generally not a goodidea". But, he continued, "after what happened on 3 June, these...conditions for returning to talks seem eminently reasonable." Since thecrackdown, Khartoum residents have mostly been sheltering indoors and thestreets have been deserted. RSF chief and deputy head of the military council,Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has warned he will not tolerate"any chaos".
Some barricadesremained in place, witnesses said yesterday, but the protest site at militaryheadquarters was out of bounds. Troops and RSF paramilitaries surrounded itfrom all sides to keep demonstrators at bay. The protest slogans that once rangacross Khartoum - "freedom, peace, justice" and "civilian rule,civilian rule" - were nowhere to be heard. - AFP