‘They’re targeting us’: Sudan’s army cracks down on democracy activists

In the midst of war, Sudan’s army is retaliating against activists for their role in bringing down the former regime.

When the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces captured Sudan’s second-largest city, Wad Madani, tens of thousands of people fled and sought safety in regions still under the army’s control.

Mohamad Osman* was among them, but military intelligence arrested him as he was trying to flee on December 27.

He was taken to a secret detention centre – commonly referred to as a “ghost house” in Sudan – where the army quickly found out that he was a member of the Kalakla resistance committee, one of many neighbourhood groups that spearheaded the pro-democracy movement before the war.

For five days, Osman was electrocuted and forced to look at seven corpses rotting on the cold concrete floor. He was going to be number eight.

Luckily, a friend in the military bailed him out.