Rhino: Agencies – The General Federation of Sudanese Christian Youth strongly condemned the arrest of four young men from the Nuba tribe, including three Christians and a fourth Muslim, by the military intelligence in Atbara city, River Nile State, as they entered the city from Khartoum last Thursday evening.

In a statement, the Federation described the incident as provocative and a blatant violation of international human rights law and demanded the immediate release of the detainees and the disclosure of their place of detention.

“Musa Neron Abulgasim”, “Saleh al-Fadil Daoud Khamis”, “Jeremiah Mujahid Koko Abdelkader”, and “Hassan Andraos Mahmoud Kjo” were arrested at a military checkpoint at the entrance to Atbara city according to the law of strange faces, without presenting any official charges or explanations about the reasons for the arrest.

The Union indicated that the place of detention of the young men is still unknown, which raises fears that they will be subjected to violations while in detention, according to the Union’s statement.

The Federation emphasized its full solidarity with the detainees and their families and held the military authorities in Atbara, the state security committee and military intelligence fully responsible for their physical and psychological safety, while Federation President Osama Saeed Musa Koudi called on the security authorities to immediately release the detainees, adding: “Detention based on religious and ethnic identity is contrary to international conventions that guarantee freedom of worship and respect for minorities, noting that such practices ”undermine efforts to build confidence between societal components and contribute to deepening divisions in light of the current national crisis.”