Khartoum: Rhino – The Sudanese National Observatory for Human Rights has condemned in the strongest terms the arbitrary arrests and forced detentions carried out by the security services of the Port Sudan authorities, targeting a number of civil activists and members of resistance committees for their peaceful participation in commemorating the glorious December revolution.
The center described the actions, which sparked widespread anger and condemnation among human rights and popular circles, as a flagrant violation of fundamental rights and freedoms and a dangerous sign of escalating repression and security crackdowns.
The Observatory quoted local sources in Northern State as saying that the state security authorities arrested Munib Abdulaziz and Dr. Ahmed Shifa for their participation in events commemorating the revolution in the city of Dongola, the capital of Northern State, on December 20.
Dr. Ahmed Shifa was subsequently subjected to unfair trials that lacked the most basic standards of justice, held on January 14 and 21, 2026, in the context of a systematic targeting of activists for their revolutionary positions and peaceful activities.
According to the Observatory, the city of Al-Qadarif witnessed a notable escalation in the pace of security repression, manifested in the implementation of arbitrary arrest and forced detention campaigns targeting a number of civil activists, against the backdrop of their participation in peaceful events to commemorate the December revolution.
According to local sources, these campaigns included the arrest of a number of members of the resistance committees, including Alaa al-Din al-Sharif, who has been detained since January 15, 2026, and Ayman al-Hariri, who has been detained since January 12, 2026, in a clear violation of the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, and without due process.
In a statement on Thursday, the Observatory confirmed that the city of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, is witnessing an alarming escalation in serious human rights violations, with continued campaigns of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances of civil activists as part of a systematic crackdown aimed at silencing voices calling for freedom and justice.
Among those detained is professor and lawyer Khalafallah Hussein, who was arrested on January 17, 2026, without any clear legal grounds, and denied his right to communicate with his family or know his place of detention, in a flagrant violation of the guarantees of a fair trial and protection from enforced disappearance.
The statement added: “In Al Jazirah state, activist Khalid Bahiri was subjected to arbitrary arrest and enforced detention for six months in the city of Wad Madani, without regard for the necessary legal guarantees. On January 13, 2026, the Wad Madani Criminal Court sentenced him to life imprisonment, despite his severely deteriorating health.
The detainee suffers from kidney disease and undergoes regular dialysis sessions, but according to his family’s statements, he has been denied necessary treatment and access to a hospital, posing a direct threat to his life and a gross violation of his right to health and life.
It continued: “The Observatory affirms that these practices constitute a serious violation of freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly, which are guaranteed under international laws and human rights conventions, and reflect the continuation of a policy of systematic repression and harassment against civilians and activists on the basis of their political positions and peaceful activities.”
