Africa

An attack on a hospital in Sudan targeted former President Al Bashir, according to his lawyer

July 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The lawyer for the former president of Sudan Omar Hasan al Bashir, Hasem Abu Bakr al Jali, has acknowledged that the former president has been the target of an attack that took place in the country this weekend, in the context of clashes between the Army of Sudan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), without being injured.

Al Jali, who is a member of the former president’s defense team, has told the ‘Sudan Tribune’ newspaper that both Al Bashir and other leaders of his cabinet were in the attacked building, such as former prime minister and former vice president Bakri Hassan Saleh. , and former Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein.

One of the escorts has confirmed to Al Jali that none of them had suffered any damage despite the fact that the infrastructure was damaged. Thus, he has taken the opportunity to denounce that the attack has caused damage in the intensive care area, the operating room and rooms for hospitalized patients, while a patient has been injured.

“Until now, we do not know if the bombardment was intentional or indiscriminate,” explained the lawyer, who pointed out that the RSF “has fired missiles from Khartoum to the hospital — located in Omdurman –, especially the residence of Al Bashir”, picks up the aforementioned newspaper.

Shortly before, the Sudanese Doctors Committee denounced the recent “consecutive attacks” against hospitals in Khartoum and Omdurman, specifically the Medical Corps center, the Alia specialized hospital and the Blue Nile medical center, which for the moment have been killed at least five civilians and injured 22.

Al Bashir was transferred to hospital from Kober prison, where he was serving a sentence, after his ouster, for corruption. On him weighs an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He also has an open case for leading the 1989 coup that brought him to power.

The hostilities broke out in the context of an increase in tensions around the integration of the RSF into the Armed Forces, a key part of an agreement signed in December to form a new civilian government and reactivate the transition open after the overthrow in 2019 of Omar Hasan al Bashir, damaged by the coup in October 2021, in which the prime minister of unity, Abdalá Hamdok, was overthrown.

The conflict in Sudan has so far left more than a thousand dead, according to official data, but the real figures could be much higher taking into account the intercommunal violence unleashed in the regions of Kordofan and Darfur.

In addition, more than 2.9 million people have been displaced, including nearly 700,000 who have fled to neighboring countries, according to data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), amid reports of daily atrocities and large-scale sexual abuse against the women and girls of the country.

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