Sudan: terror trial of 24 Al Bashir loyalists to start on August 1

Officials are also seeking the extradition of the former president's security chief

Omar Al Bashir smiles inside a cage at court in Khartoum. Reuters

Twenty-four loyalists of Sudan's ousted dictator Omar Al Bashir will stand trial on August 1 on terror-related charges.

They also face charges of undermining the constitutional government and the illegal possession of arms and explosives, Sudanese officials have said.

The case dates back to May 2019 when security forces raided an apartment in Al Taif district of Khartoum, near the city’s international airport, and found a cache of arms and explosives.

The accused include an army general, members of Al Bashir’s National Congress Party and militiamen loyal to his regime, which was removed by the military in April 2019 after months of street protests against his 29-year rule. Al Bashir has been in detention since then. He was convicted of corruption later that year and now faces a range of charges in separate trials.

The prosecution said at the time of the Taif raid that the 24 men in detention had plotted to bomb the defence ministry, military installations and other key state facilities in the capital to sow chaos and confusion to pave the way for Al Bashir’s return to power.

The first court hearing was scheduled for Sunday but did not take place because the suspects were not brought from prison, officials familiar with the matter told The National.

They said Salah Abdulla Kosh, Al Bashir’s security chief, was originally listed as a suspect in the case, but prosecutors decided to try him separately given the gravity of the charges he faces.

He has lived in exile in neighbouring Egypt since Al Bashir was toppled.

The officials said Sudanese authorities were seeking his extradition from Egypt to face trial for the shooting deaths of protesters between December 2018 and April 2019.

“Attempts to undermine the transitional administration will not stop until Kosh is brought back to Sudan along with his top aides to stand trial,” said prosecution spokesman Al Moaz Hadrah.

He said Mr Kosh was also wanted for his alleged role in a January 20 mutiny in Khartoum by members of the security apparatus he once led. The rebellion, ostensibly over pay and terms of early retirement, was put down by the military. He is also wanted over corruption, Mr Hadrah told The National.