AFP |
Fallen Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir was Sunday seen in public for the first time since being ousted, as he was driven in an armed convoy to the prosecutor’s office.
Sudan's ex-president Omar al-Bashir charged with corruption-related offenses in first appearance since April. More here: https://t.co/8npILe3a0q pic.twitter.com/fiLOThiCMl
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 17, 2019
The former strongman, who ruled his northeast African nation with an iron fist for three decades, was toppled on April 11 after months of protests against his reign. Dressed in a white traditional robe and turban, Bashir rode in a heavily-armed convoy from the notorious Kober prison in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to the prosecutor’s office to face charges of alleged corruption.
Prosecutor Alaeddin Dafallah told reporters after Bashir left the office that the ousted president had been informed that he was facing charges of “possessing foreign currency, corruption and receiving gifts illegally.”
The planning of the operation of Colombia (area) was done by military and security authorities, rest assured that the council is keen to investigate minute by minute facts through its investigation committee
Meanwhile, a top general from Sudan’s new ruling military council vowed that those who carried out a deadly crackdown on an iconic protest site that left dozens dead earlier this month would face the death penalty.
“We are working hard to take those who did this to the gallows,” Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy chief of the ruling military council said in a speech broadcast live on state television. “Whoever committed any fault” will be held accountable, Dagalo added.
Thousands of protesters in Sudan who had camped outside Khartoum’s military headquarters for weeks were violently dispersed by armed men in military fatigues on June 3, according to witnesses.
Sudan confirms trial of ousted president Omar al Bashir will start next week. He's been charged with possession of foreign money and suspected illicit wealth pic.twitter.com/c7S6Al3ZP7
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) June 16, 2019
At least 128 people have been killed in the crackdown on demonstrators in South Sudan, the majority the day the sit-in was cleared, according to doctors linked to the protest movement. The health ministry put the June 3 death toll nationwide at 61.
Protesters and witnesses accuse the feared paramilitary group led by Dagalo, the Rapid Support Forces, of carrying out the assault on demonstrators. US officials and protesters have called for an independent probe into the crackdown.
‘Regret’ for crackdown
On Sunday, Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit in a visit to Khartoum also urged for a full investigation into the assault.
“These serious developments must push the Security Council to act in order to safeguard the security and the stability in the region" – Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of Arab League pic.twitter.com/AmQBnNCsPG
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) June 13, 2019
He met Sudan’s military ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and leaders from the protest movement, the Arab League said in a statement.
Read more: UNSC: The people of Sudan must be protected
During his meetings, Gheit assured Arab League’s support in ensuring that Sudan’s “international debts are forgiven” and that it is “removed from the state sponsors of terrorism list” of Washington.
Sudan, along with Iran, Syria and North Korea, has been on Washington’s blacklist for decades for its alleged support to Islamist militants.
It has been 26 years since Sudan was placed on the US's State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) blacklist over allegations that Omar al-Bashir's government was harbouring members of al-Qaeda and other extremist groupshttps://t.co/jhIo4ol2R8
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 15, 2019
On Thursday, military council spokesman General Shamseddine Kabbashi expressed “regret” over the June 3 crackdown. But the council insists it did not order the dispersal, saying it had actually planned to purge an area near the protest camp where people are said to sell drugs.
“The planning of the operation of Colombia (area) was done by military and security authorities,” the council said in a statement late Saturday. “We assure you that the council is keen to investigate minute by minute facts through its investigation committee.”
Brigadier Abderrahim Badreddine, spokesman for the investigative committee, told state television Saturday initial findings indicate that “officers and soldiers of different ranks and regular forces” had entered the sit-in without any orders from their superiors.
Read more: People of Sudan unite against military oppression
Bashir had swept to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989. Sudan suffered high rates of corruption during his rule, ranking 172 out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index.
No country is completely free of corruption, according to the latest report by Transparency International. countries with higher rates of corruption have weaker democratic institutions and political rights. https://t.co/xsjRQAeMSQ
— Navin Agrawal (@navinvagrawal) June 13, 2019
When he imposed a state of emergency on February 22 in a bid to quell protests that erupted in December over the spiraling costs, Bashir issued a decree making it illegal to possess more than $5,000 in foreign currency.
But in April, Burhan said more than $113 million worth of cash in three currencies had been seized from Bashir’s residence after he was toppled. A team of police, army and security agents found seven million euros ($7.8 million), $350,000 and five billion Sudanese pounds ($105 million).
AFP with additional input by GVS news desk