Sudan ex-President Omar al-Bashir in hospital with symptoms, says report

Sudan’s former President Omar al-Bashir is in hospital with suspected coronavirus symptoms, according to a report by Sudanese media outlet Dabanga that cites the country’s Public Prosecution.

The report also says that seven other members of al-Bashir’s regime - who have been detained in prison alongside al-Bashir since the regime fell in 2019 - are in hospitals in Khartoum as well. Three of them have chronic conditions, three are confirmed COVID-19 cases, and al-Bashir and one other have suspected symptoms, according to Dabanga.

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“In a statement on Wednesday, the Public Prosecutor confirmed that Ahmed Haroun, former Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Governor of North Kordofan, Abdelrahim Hussein, former Minister of Interior, Defence, and Governor of Khartoum, and Ali Osman Taha, former Foreign Affairs Minister and First Vice President, are being treated for Covid-19,” wrote Dabanga.

Al Arabiya English could not verify the public prosecutor’s comments at the time of publication.

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Al-Bashir and his regime were toppled in 2019 and have been detained in prison since. On Wednesday, authorities had announced that Taha, Haroun, and Hussein had all contracted COVID-19 in prison.

The new government has decided that al-Bashir and his aides should stand trial in the International Criminal Court.

Taha served as vice president under Bashir between 1998-2013, and was previously Sudan’s foreign minister.

Hussein served in several positions including defense and interior minister. He was also assigned governor of Khartoum before Bashir’s ouster.

Haroun served as minister of state for the interior, minister of state for humanitarian affairs, and governor of the conflict-ridden South Kordofan.

All three were members of Bashir’s now-defunct National Congress Party.

Al-Bashir refused test: Report

A separate report from Arabic news outlet the Sudan Tribune said on Wednesday that al-Bashir had reportedly refused to be tested for COVID-19 while in prison.

The report added that al-Bashir was rumored to be in a difficult pyschological state.

“Former #Sudan prez #Bashir reportedly refused #COVID-19 testing. The prison time is also taking a toll on him with depression, aloofness, episodes of anger outbursts, rudeness to guards & insisting on being treated as president. I suspect not many in Sudan will be sympathetic...,” tweeted Wasil Ali, citing the report.