N’Djamena, September 16 (Darfur24)
The son of Sudanese police officer Captain Mohamed El-Fateh Ishaq has appealed to Sudanese and Chadian authorities and humanitarian organizations to disclose the whereabouts and status of his father, who has been missing since his arrest in Chad’s border town of Adré on May 8.
The officer’s son said in a Facebook post that the family still does not know where his father is being held, who is responsible for his detention or the circumstances surrounding his arrest. He called for authorities to disclose his fate and that of other missing Sudanese officers.
Captain Mohamed El-Fateh was among a group of Sudanese police officers who had traveled to Chad as part of a passport and civil registry team tasked with issuing identification documents to Sudanese citizens.
According to sources who spoke to Darfur24 at the time, the officers had been living in Chad as refugees after fleeing El Geneina, West Darfur State, which was under the control of the Rapid Support Forces. The team had traveled to Abéché in eastern Chad.
The officer’s son called on authorities to investigate his father’s whereabouts, identify the party responsible for his detention, and clarify the reasons and circumstances of his arrest. He also called for information about his father’s legal and humanitarian status, guarantees for his safety, and access to his family and lawyer.
He further appealed to human rights and humanitarian organizations, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and other refugee protection bodies to follow up on the case and help establish the whereabouts of the detainees.
The family has criticized the lack of official information about Captain Mohamed El-Fateh and other Sudanese police officers who have reportedly been missing for months, saying the uncertainty has deepened the suffering of their families.
Sources previously told Darfur24 that the Sudanese Consul General in Abéché had summoned a team of police officers to work on issuing passports and civil documents, but that their entry visas did not clearly define their official status.
The sources said disagreements subsequently arose between the Sudanese Embassy in N’Djamena and the consulate in Abéché over where the team should begin its work. Chadian security authorities then intervened to verify the identities of the team members.
According to the sources, Chadian authorities arrested several members of the team after identifying them as Sudanese police officers, as well as other Sudanese officers in Chad who had been in contact with the team.
The sources also said a brigadier general who had served as West Darfur’s police chief was among those detained.
Chadian authorities subsequently declared Sudan’s consul general and consulate staff persona non grata and gave them four days to leave the country, according to the sources.