Sudan’s ousted former president Omar al-Bashir has been moved from the northern city of Merowe to Alia Hospital in Omdurman for further medical examinations, as his lawyers press military authorities to allow him to travel abroad for treatment.
Mohamed al-Hassan al-Amin, a member of Bashir’s defence team, said the former president had been transferred to Khartoum while remaining in custody and was now undergoing medical follow-up at Alia Hospital rather than the military medical facility in Merowe.
The development marks an update to earlier reports that Bashir had been hospitalised in Merowe following a deterioration in his health.
Sudanese media cited sources as saying doctors recommended his transfer because facilities in Merowe were unable to provide the specialist care and examinations he required.
Al-Amin said Bashir was not currently in critical condition but was suffering from symptoms requiring tests and medical procedures that were unavailable in Sudan.
He said military authorities had given preliminary approval for Bashir to travel abroad for treatment, although the decision had not yet been implemented.
Bashir remains in preventive detention, and any decision to release him temporarily or permit him to leave Sudan would require approval from the country’s military and political leadership, according to his lawyer.
The defence team has continued to demand that Bashir be allowed to receive specialist treatment overseas.
Bashir was transferred to Merowe in September 2024 along with several senior figures from his former government after medical reports raised concerns about their health.
The former president ruled Sudan for nearly three decades after taking power in a 1989 military coup before being removed in April 2019 following months of mass protests.
His legal proceedings were disrupted after war broke out in Sudan in April 2023.
Bashir is also wanted by the International Criminal Court over allegations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict in Darfur.
The latest transfer comes as former officials and members of Bashir’s National Congress Party renew calls for the army-aligned authorities to allow him to seek treatment outside Sudan.
