October 12, Shendi — Sudanese military intelligence has arrested 17 Nuba Christians since the start of the month in Shendi city, in River Nile state, on charges of communicating with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), sources told Darfur24.
The detainees were allegedly arrested while heading to the city with their families, whom they were then separated from. They are accused of cooperating with the RSF after they attempted to flee ongoing clashes. Their families are currently living in the courtyard of the church in Shendi.
The Nuba Mountains Lawyers Union held the governor of River Nile State, the state security committee, and military intelligence responsible for the arrests. The lawyers demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees within a maximum period of 24 hours, and the deportation of all detainees to the place they want to go to in any safe state in Sudan.
The Coordination-body of civil and Democratic Forces, known as Taggadum, condemned “the repressive methods practiced by military intelligence against the people of the Nuba Mountains, who fled the bloody conflict in Khartoum Bahri in search of safety, only to be subjected to mass arrests and humiliating treatment inside detention centers.”
The capital, Khartoum, and its northern areas including the Al-Ezba Bahri neighborhood where detainees are from, are witnessing an escalation in military operations.