Sudan's al-Bashir orders release of jailed rebels

By Mohammed Amin

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) - Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Wednesday announced a general amnesty for rebel fighters languishing in government jails.

The move comes only days after a major rebel group handed over 125 captured Sudanese soldiers, who returned to Khartoum on Sunday after years in captivity.

In a presidential decree, al-Bashir pardoned 259 rebel fighters captured during past clashes with government troops in Sudan’s Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

According to the decree, more than 60 of those pardoned had earlier been sentenced to death by Sudanese courts.

“In a Wednesday presidential decree, President al-Bashir… overturned death sentences handed down against 259 prisoners of war associated with rebel movements active in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states,” read a statement released by the president’s office.

“The move is aimed at strengthening the spirit of national consensus and peacemaking,” it added.

Earlier this week, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/North announced the release of scores of captured Sudanese soldiers as a “goodwill gesture”.

The International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the handing-over process using South Sudan and Uganda as intermediaries.