On the morning of January 5, 2019, 12 armed men dressed in civilian clothes raided Yasir Ahmed’s family home in Omdurman, Sudan, where he had been staying temporarily after being discharged from hospital.
The officers – members of the NISS – informed Ahmed’s relatives that they had a search warrant, but refused to present it to them, and instructed the family not to speak up or film the arrest. The officers forced Ahmed into a vehicle, and brought him to an unknown location.
Ahmed had travelled from the UAE to Sudan on December 20, 2018 to visit his father, whose health was rapidly deteriorating, and who passed away on December 22. He had been severely injured after being shot by a sniper while participating in a peaceful protest in Khartoum on December 25.
He spent nine days at Fedail hospital in Khartoum before being discharged on January 3. The hospital did not have adequate equipment to safely proceed with the operation to remove the bullet, and, as a result, Ahmed’s family planned to fly him to the United Arab Emirates – where he usually resides – for the necessary surgery. However, they discovered that a travel ban had been issued against him.
On January 6, the day after his arrest, Ahmed’s family filed a complaint with the Information and Services office at the headquarters of the NISS in Khartoum to enquire about Ahmed’s fate and whereabouts. Later the same day, the family received a call responding to their complaint, during which the NISS officially acknowledged that Ahmed was in their custody. However, they refused to disclose his whereabouts.
The family also submitted an appeal to the director of the NISS, bringing his attention to Ahmed’s critical health condition, and calling for his release. This appeal was registered by the NISS Information and Services office, but no response to the request was received.
On January 8, the family filed a complaint with the office of the National Commission for Human Rights in Khartoum. The commission sent a letter to the NISS enquiring about the case, but to no avail.
Ahmed’s relatives were informed unofficially that he was held in a hospital in Khartoum. However, they did not received any official information from the NISS about his whereabouts nor the reason for his detention.
Ahmed was released on January 31, 2019.