Egyptian authorities are holding Almusbah Abu Zeid Talha, commander of Sudan’s Islamist Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Brigade, after detaining him at his Cairo residence shortly after his arrival for medical treatment, security sources said on Wednesday.
Talha’s militia is wanted in Sudan on allegations of terrorism, torture, and war-crimes against civilians. He had travelled to the Egyptian capital to seek care for an injury and to visit relatives, the sources added. Other family members, including his mother, remain in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi officials arrested Talha last year and deported him to Port Sudan following intervention by SAF chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan; photographs at Jeddah airport showed him in handcuffs.
In Port Sudan, fighters loyal to Al-Baraa Brigade have threatened to seize Egypt’s ambassador or other Egyptian diplomats unless Talha is released.
Islamist commentator Abdel Majid Abdel Hamid said Cairo had issued Talha an entry visa with the intent to apprehend him and urged Egyptian authorities to free him and explain the grounds for his arrest.
