Khartoum (AFP) - A security official told Agence France-Presse on Sunday that the Sudanese army arrested Ahmed Haroun, head of the ruling National Congress Party under Omar al-Bashir and a prominent Islamist figure.

Published on: 08/11/2026 - 15:41

The source, requesting anonymity, said, “Ahmed Haroun was detained based on legal procedures,” without additional details.

Haroun is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, and was arrested for the first time in April 2019, following the ouster of Al-Bashir from the presidency following massive popular protests.

Haroun remained imprisoned until 2023, when he, along with other leaders of the former regime, managed to escape from prison coinciding with the outbreak of war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces.

Since then, Haroun appeared again calling for support for the Sudanese army, which led to the accusation that the army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, had allowed the Islamists of the former regime to return to the political scene.

Haroun practiced limited activity until Friday, when he appeared on a podcast program in a long interview that lasted more than four hours, in which he confirmed his support for Al-Burhan, considering that the latter was “affected by the media hype” and “international pressure” against the Islamists.

A source in the Sudanese government close to the army said that Al-Burhan, an experienced soldier who rose through the ranks during Al-Bashir’s rule, sought the help of Islamic leaders to mobilize political and military support.

But Al-Burhan faced pressure from the United States, which sought to mediate peace talks, and from Saudi Arabia and Egypt to distance himself from the Islamists, according to diplomats and analysts.

The overthrow of Al-Bashir in April 2019 revived hopes of Sudan’s transition to democracy, before Al-Burhan and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, excluded the civilian component of the transitional government in 2021.

In April 2023, an open war broke out between them, following a power dispute centered on plans to integrate the Rapid Support Forces into the regular army.

For years, the International Criminal Court has been demanding the extradition of Haroun and Al-Bashir, who was transferred from a military hospital before the outbreak of war and is still in an unknown location.

Haroun faces 20 charges related to crimes against humanity and 22 charges related to war crimes, for his role in recruiting the "Janjaweed" militias that committed ethnic massacres in Darfur at the beginning of the millennium, and later formed an essential component of the Rapid Support Forces.

In 2024, the United States offered a reward of up to five million dollars to anyone who provides information leading to his arrest.

© 2026 AFP

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