Kauda, August 06 (Darfur24)
About 68 detainees have been released from Kodi prison in the Kauda region, controlled by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), under an initiative led by the New Sudan Islamic Council and the Nuba Mountains Council of Churches amid escalating insecurity in the area.
Informed sources told Darfur24 that the release took place on Tuesday and included detainees held on criminal and security-related charges, as well as others who had been detained for years without trial. Those released belonged to several communities in the Nuba Mountains, including some from the Darfur region.
The sources said the initiative was driven by concerns that detainees could be at risk of extrajudicial killings during or after the recent escalation in violence. They noted that similar incidents had reportedly occurred in the Mandi and Heiban areas during recent confrontations.
In a statement seen by Darfur24, the media committee of the Otoro tribe said the tribal administration had agreed to release the prisoners to ensure their safety following the recent violence in Kauda. It stated that the move was carried out as part of a joint initiative between the New Sudan Islamic Council and the Nuba Mountains Council of Churches.
Kauda and Heiban have witnessed fighting since late May between the SPLM-N and armed groups from the Otoro community over a border demarcation dispute that escalated into armed conflict. The SPLM-N has described the Otoro fighters involved in the clashes as “rebels.”
According to local sources, the violence, which began on May 26, has killed dozens of civilians, wounded many others, displaced large numbers of people, and worsened the humanitarian situation across parts of the Nuba Mountains.