Sudan: Alleged 'Arrest' of ICC Fugitive Ahmed Haroun in Doubt

What the report says

Politicians and activists have cast doubt on reports that Ahmed Haroun, a Sudanese politician wanted by the International Criminal Court, had been arrested after his recent appearance in a recorded interview with Sudan Podcast. According to Dabanga, the claim circulated in international media on Sunday, but no official confirmation has been issued by Sudanese authorities, including the prosecution, justice minister, attorney-general or police.

Haroun is the chairman of the dissolved National Congress Party and a prominent Islamist figure. The interview was described as his first recorded public appearance since he left Kober Prison in Khartoum early in the war. The article says he has remained free since then and has been seen moving between places in areas under Sudanese army control. Dabanga also notes that he is wanted by the ICC, along with former president Omar al-Bashir and former defence minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein.

The report highlights strong reactions from Sudanese political figures and rights groups. Yasser Arman and Khalid Omar Youssef criticized the interview and the wider circumstances around Haroun’s public visibility, while Emergency Lawyers said the authorities have not explained how former regime figures left detention or what legal steps have followed. The group urged Sudanese officials to disclose Haroun’s status and enforce the outstanding arrest warrant.

The case matters because it raises questions about accountability, enforcement of court orders, and the handling of high-profile detainees during Sudan’s war. More broadly, it reflects continuing disputes over the role of former regime figures and the state of Sudan’s justice system amid the conflict.