Nine Darfur activists arrested in Sudan

Nine Darfur activists arrested in Sudan

2010-11-03 04:07:06 GMT+7 (ICT)

KHARTOUM, SUDAN (BNO NEWS) -- Nine Darfur activists have been arrested in Khartoum, Sudan, just weeks away from the referendum on the secession of the south, AfricaNews reported on Tuesday

All the activists who were reportedly arrested are from Darfur and most of them worked for the Human Rights and Advocacy Network for Democracy (HAND). A prominent human rights lawyer was also among the group.

The arrests began on Saturday and continued until late Monday night. However, the charges against the activists have not been disclosed as well as the location where the detainees are being held. The Sudanese National Security and Intelligence Services denied having information related to the arrests.

"The total number arrested is nine activists, all of them from Darfur," said civil society leader Elbaqir Mokhtar. "One of them is a very active lawyer in the Darfur lawyer's association. It has now really raised alarm bells that probably what is coming is going to be worse."

The arrests may threaten the peaceful referendum process planned for January 9, when residents of southern Sudan will vote on whether to secede from the rest of the country. In the central area of Abyei, residents will vote on whether to be part of the north or the south.

The planned referendum is the last phase of the implementation of the CPA, signed in 2005 after the end of the armed conflict that lasted two decades between the northern Government and the southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement.

The conflict generated from President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's authority who is wanted for war crimes in Darfur. Al-Bashir allegedly ran a campaign of rape, murder and other crimes against humanity that forced human rights activists to flee the area last year.

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