Efforts are reportedly underway within Sudan’s Islamist movement to reopen criminal cases against senior figures from former President Omar al-Bashir’s regime, potentially paving the way for their return to prison, according to journalist Abdel Majid Abdel Hamid.
In a social media post, Abdel Hamid alleged that a senior legal figure within the Islamist movement was spearheading efforts to revive suspended court proceedings, file new criminal complaints and secure the renewed detention of former regime officials.
Several senior figures from Bashir’s government were released or left detention in 2023 following the outbreak of war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to Abdel Hamid, the campaign has intensified over the past two months, with the recent detention of Ahmed Haroun, acting chairman of the former ruling National Congress Party (NCP), providing an opportunity to advance the proposed measures.
The journalist claimed that elements within Sudan’s military and security institutions had expressed reservations about the initiative, suggesting disagreements over how to handle prominent figures from the former regime.
Despite those objections, he warned that efforts to prosecute and detain additional Islamist leaders could continue.
Abdel Hamid also questioned who stood to benefit from pushing Sudan’s Islamist movement into a renewed political and security confrontation, warning that further arrests could deepen divisions within the country’s military-aligned political establishment.
The reported developments come amid growing tensions surrounding Haroun’s detention and mounting disagreements between Islamist factions that previously supported the SAF government.
Abdel Hamid did not identify the senior legal figure allegedly directing the campaign or provide documentary evidence of an official plan to return Bashir-era leaders to prison.
The allegations have not been independently verified, and no formal announcement of additional prosecutions has been reported.
