General al-Burhan’s (SAF) junta based in Port Sudan is facing mounting criticism after the arbitrary detention of a well-known volunteer and the targeted harassment of a journalist’s family, further fueling allegations of authoritarian repression in areas still under Burhan’s control.
Onour Hamad, a prominent civil society volunteer, was reportedly detained by SAF’s internal security cell in Port Sudan and held for eight days without charges or explanation. No legal warrant was issued, and no formal accusations have been made public.
Civil and community-based organizations in Red Sea State condemned the detention as a blatant violation of constitutional rights, warning that the SAF junta’s ongoing crackdowns are shrinking the already narrow space for peaceful civic activity. “This was an unlawful act carried out by a regime increasingly threatened by ordinary Sudanese voices,” said one local activist.
Activist circles say Onour’s detention reflects a broader SAF effort to dismantle non-military community structures and intimidate citizens into silence.
In a separate but related incident, journalist Ehab Madibo reported that members of his family were summoned and interrogated by junta-aligned security forces in Kadugli, South Kordofan. Madibo, a vocal critic of SAF policies in the region, described the move as “a clear act of political retaliation.”
“This is not just intimidation—it is collective punishment aimed at silencing dissent,” he said. “Using the security services to target families of journalists is both unlawful and deeply unethical.”
Rights Groups Demand Accountability
The incidents have triggered renewed outrage among human rights defenders and media freedom advocates, many of whom accuse Burhan’s regional security committees of waging a coordinated campaign against activists, volunteers, and journalists.
“These abuses are not isolated—they reflect a systemic pattern of repression by the SAF junta,” said a Khartoum-based legal analyst. “Without urgent intervention, these practices will become normalized under Burhan’s rule.”
Observers say the escalation of intimidation tactics in SAF-held areas threatens Sudan’s remaining civic space and undermines any pretense of rule of law in junta-administered zones. Calls are growing for international actors to pressure the Port Sudan authorities to halt their campaign against civil society and independent media.
