Sudan: Former leader Omar al-Bashir hospitalized due to ongoing conflict

Sudan’s former president, Omar al-Bashir, who was overthrown in 2019 after ruling for three decades, has been moved from a military detention facility to a hospital for medical treatment.

The 80-year-old, whose health has reportedly worsened, was transferred to a hospital in Merowe, 330 kilometers north of Khartoum, according to his lawyer, Mohamed al-Hassan al-Amin.

“He needs regular checks and follow-ups,” said al-Amin, adding that while al-Bashir’s condition is not critical, he requires treatment unavailable at the Wadi Seedna military base where he was held. Al-Bashir suffers from age-related complications and high blood pressure.

The move comes amid ongoing conflict between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April last year. Al-Bashir had been held at a military base since the RSF attacked his previous prison in Khartoum.

Sudan’s former Defense Minister, Abdel-Rahim Muhammad Hussein, also indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes committed during the Darfur conflict, has been transferred to the same facility due to heart issues.

Al-Bashir remains wanted by the ICC for genocide and war crimes committed in Darfur, but Sudan’s military rulers have refused to hand him over. Despite the ongoing conflict, the fate of Sudan’s former strongman remains a point of contention on the international stage.