Al-Bashir's family demands his transfer abroad for medical treatment

Khartoum - Al-Quds Al-Arabi: The family of former Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir demanded on Thursday that Sudanese authorities allow him to receive medical treatment outside the country, pointing out that medical reports confirm his health condition requires urgent medical intervention. They stated that they have not yet received any official notification approving Al-Bashir's travel abroad for treatment and denied the accuracy of what some media platforms have circulated regarding the issuance of official approval in this regard. They renewed their appeal to the Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, to consider the health and humanitarian situation of the former president and allow him to travel abroad to obtain the necessary medical care. On April 11, 2019, a popular revolution ousted the regime of Omar Al-Bashir. The army announced his removal at the time following months of popular protests, ending a rule of nearly three decades described as totalitarian and restrictive of freedoms. Since then, Sudanese authorities have kept the former president and several officials of his government in custody, while keeping his detention location and the details of his health condition confidential. Leaks over the past years have revealed successive health ailments affecting Al-Bashir, while authorities have maintained secrecy regarding information related to his health status. The family's appeal comes after statements by Al-Bashir's lawyer, Mohamed Al-Hassan Al-Amin, in which he spoke of a preliminary agreement for his client to travel for treatment outside Sudan. Al-Amin said that Al-Bashir requires medical examinations and procedures that are not available within the country. Al-Bashir had been transferred in the recent period from Merowe city, northern Sudan, to Aliya Military Hospital in Omdurman, west of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, to continue treatment and undergo medical tests. Al-Bashir's defense team reported that his health condition had deteriorated, but they refrained from providing details. In contrast, medical sources said that Al-Bashir suffers from heart problems and recently experienced a heart attack, leading to a further decline in his health. After his removal, Al-Bashir underwent several trials before the Sudanese judiciary in cases related to seizing power, possession of foreign currency, and financial irregularities, and judicial sentences were issued against him in domestic cases. Conversely, the government has refused to hand him over to the International Criminal Court, despite expressing openness to other measures in coordination with the court to initiate domestic trials. Al-Bashir faces two arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court in 2009 and 2010. The warrants relate to charges of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan. The International Criminal Court maintains that Al-Bashir is wanted to appear before it and that his case remains among the files the court is pursuing, despite the years that have passed since the issuance of the arrest warrants.