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Former President of Sudan moved to Kobar Prison

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Former President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir has been moved to Kobar maximum security prison.

Reports say the he has until now, been detained at the presidential residence under heavy guard. He is reportedly being held in solitary confinement and is surrounded by tight security.

Months of protests in Sudan led to the arrest of the long-time ruler on Thursday.

Uganda’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Oryem Okello told Reuters news agency the country would consider offering the deposed leader asylum if he applied, despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. So, as an ICC member, Uganda would have to hand over Mr Bashir if he arrived in the country. The ICC has not yet commented.

Until now, Mr Bashir’s whereabouts were unknown. The coup leader at the time, Awad Ibn Auf, said Mr Bashir was being detained in a safe place. He himself stood down soon afterwards.

Lt Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan was then named as head of the transitional military council, to become Sudan’s third leader.

Demonstrators have vowed to stay on the streets until there is an immediate move to civilian rule. During his three decade rule, Omar al-Bashir sent many of his political opponents to Kobar prison. Now his relatives say that’s where he’s been taken.

Many Sudanese people hope that their former president will be punished for the atrocities committed on his watch. The generals now running the country say Mr Bashir will not be transferred to the ICC but will be tried in Sudan.

If they see concrete evidence that he is in prison, protestors calling for a return to civilian rule may feel at least partly reassured that the country can move on from its oppressive past.