Detainee allegedly tortured in Sudan dies — doctors

KHARTOUM — A Sudanese civilian detained and allegedly tortured by security agents in a central town has died in custody, a doctors committee linked to the country's protest movement said Sunday.

The man died on Saturday in the town of Dilling in the state of South Kordofan after he was detained by agents of the feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), the doctors committee said in a statement.

The detainee "passed away on July 20, 2019, from torture while in detention at the NISS office in Dilling," the statement said without elaborating on the circumstances of his arrest.

"NISS continues to torture and claim innocent civilian lives illegally without facing any consequences."

Officers of NISS were not immediately available for comment.

Rights groups and activists had regularly accused NISS agents of cracking down on dissidents and restricting freedoms during the regime of veteran leader Omar Al Bashir who was ousted in April.

It was NISS that led a sweeping crackdown on protests against Bashir's rule that first erupted in December.

Dozens were killed and hundreds of protesters, activists and opposition leaders were arrested during the months-long campaign that led to Bashir's overthrow and subsequent demonstrations calling for civilian rule.

Last week a power-sharing deal was inked between the protest leaders and the ruling generals who seized power after ousting Bashir.

More talks between the two sides to thrash out some pending issues have been suspended following differences within the protest movement itself over the power-sharing deal.