Sudan’s Military Want to Use Detained Committee Members as Bargaining Chips

Empowerment removal comittee members pose with former Prime Minister Hamdok

March 21, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Erwa al-Sadiq, a member of the suspended Empowerment Removal Committee, said on Sunday that the military leaders have taken the committee leaders hostages to force them to accept a political settlement.

Last month the Sudanese authorities arrested the leaders of the committee including the alternate chair and member of the Sovereign Council Mohamed al-Faki and charged them with breach of trust.

Al-Sadiq who is abroad told the Sudan Tribune that the committee, which is tasked with the dismantlement of the former regime institutions and companies, worked to curb robberies of public money and to combat the smuggling of gold and resources.

“The committee revealed operations through Port Sudan airport linked to the Russian Wagner group, fought the drug mafia, stopped land grabbing, and corruption in the sale of the state-owned companies.”

He further added that they got files threatening the interests of powerful people “who allied to overthrow the government of the outgoing Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok”.

He added they put their hands on corruption files linked to the ousted President Omer al-Bashir and ministers, bank directors and senior officials under his regime.

“Committee members who are facing accusations of breach of trust are taken hostage for political bargaining, as they did with Hamdok before, they arrested them until they accept a dreamy settlement,” he said.

He further asserted that the coup leaders and their committees would not find not any charges against his detained colleagues.

The committee leaders are accused of embezzling public funds but they deny the charges saying that the confiscated properties and companies are managed by security and ministry of finance officials.

The suspended Empower Removal Committee on Monday announced they would release all the cases they investigated to inform the Sudanese about the merits of their decisions.

“Also, the people will be informed about the danger of this coup against the gains of the revolution and the return of the people’s wealth to a few influential class,” reads the statement.

In November 2019, Sudanese transitional authority passed a law to dismantle the al-Bashir regime, including dissolving the former ruling National Congress Party.