World · Africa · 1 hr ago
Sudan army detains former ruling party leader wanted by ICC
Sudan’s army has detained Ahmed Haroun, a former senior official from the era of ousted leader Omar al-Bashir.
Haroun chairs the National Congress Party, which was rooted in Sudan’s Islamist movement and was part of the country’s former ruling order.
The International Criminal Court wants Haroun over alleged war crimes and genocide in Darfur in the early 2000s, charges he has called political.
His detention comes during Sudan’s civil war, in which the army is fighting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Haroun’s party and the army have fought the RSF on the same side, although their political positions may differ.
The army has not explained why it detained him, and there has been no immediate public comment from the military or the ICC.
The war has brought ethnic killings, famine and mass displacement, and the UN calls the resulting humanitarian crisis the world’s biggest.
Sudan’s military authorities detained Ahmed Haroun, a former senior official and head of the former ruling National Congress Party, according to party officials and his defense lawyers.
Haroun is wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes committed during the Darfur conflict in the early 2000s.
His lawyers said his whereabouts were unknown and that no reason was given for his re-detention.
The lawyers linked the move to Haroun’s recent comments that his party and the army were united in fighting the Rapid Support Forces, despite not being politically aligned.
Haroun was previously detained in 2019, then left prison after it was attacked in 2024.
- Who
- Sudan’s military authorities detained Ahmed Haroun, a former senior Islamist official and former ruling party leader.
- What
- He was detained again. The ICC wants him over alleged crimes linked to the Darfur conflict.
- When
- Sunday, November 8, 2026.
- Where
- Kassala, Sudan, according to his defense lawyers.
- Why
- No official reason was given. His lawyers linked the detention to recent podcast comments about his party’s relationship with the army.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Rebels in Darfur launched an insurgency against Sudan’s government.
Haroun was detained after a months-long uprising led to the military ouster of Omar al-Bashir.
War between the army and the Rapid Support Forces broke out in Khartoum and elsewhere in Sudan.
Haroun left prison after the facility was attacked during the war.
Haroun said in a podcast interview that his party and the army were united in fighting the RSF, despite not being politically aligned.
Sudan’s military authorities detained Haroun again.
- Detained
- Ahmed Haroun
- Reported location
- Kassala, Sudan
- Party
- National Congress Party
- ICC case
- Alleged crimes in Darfur, including war crimes and crimes against humanity
- Previous detention
- April 2019
- Left prison
- April 2024
3 sources
What people are saying
legal scandal and a direct challenge to international justice
Justice for victims of crimes committed in Sudan cannot be held hostage to political or military balances, and ending impunity requires subjecting all accused and wanted persons to judicial accountability, without exception or immunity