Sudan’s former autocratic President Omar al-Bashir, 80, has been transferred to a medical facility in northern Sudan due to health concerns, his lawyer Mohamed al-Hassan al-Amin told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan for 30 years before being ousted in a 2019 uprising, was moved on Tuesday to a hospital in Merowe, about 330 kilometers (205 miles) north of Khartoum. The transfer comes amid the ongoing civil war between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that began in April 2023.
Al-Amin stated that al-Bashir’s health had recently deteriorated, citing age-related complications and high blood pressure. “He needs regular checks and follow-ups,” the lawyer said, “but his condition is not critical.”
The former president had been held at a military facility on the outskirts of Khartoum since the outbreak of the current conflict. Al-Amin also reported that former Defense Minister Abdel-Rahim Muhammad Hussein, who suffers from heart-related problems, was transferred to the same facility.
Both al-Bashir and Hussein are wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide and other crimes committed during the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region in the 2000s. The ICC has indicted them on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, with an estimated 300,000 people killed and 2.7 million displaced during the Darfur conflict.
Sudan’s current military rulers have declined ICC requests to hand over al-Bashir and others for trial. The ongoing civil war has further complicated the situation, with the conflict causing widespread devastation and forcing approximately 10 million people to flee their homes.
The United Nations and international rights groups have reported that the current conflict has also been marked by atrocities amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in Darfur.
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