Sudan’s ex-leader Bashir moved to northern town for treatment, lawyer says

Former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir has been transferred from Sudan's war-ravaged capital Khartoum to the northern town of Merowe for medical treatment, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

The 80-year-old, jailed along with allies after being overthrown in a popular uprising in 2019, had been taken to a detention centre in Merowe ahead of treatment at a hospital in the town, lawyer Mohamed Hassan al-Amin told Reuters.

"He needs medical follow-up and periodic check-ups. Sometimes he has some complications, which require follow-up. But his condition is not critical now," Amin said.

"The causes of some symptoms have not been diagnosed yet, and they may require treatment outside Sudan," he added, saying this was the first time Bashir had been moved from the capital.

Bashir was convicted of corruption and illicit financing and faced other legal trials before war broke out in April 2023. He had been held most recently at an army base in Omdurman, a part of Sudan's greater capital where the army has held ground in its war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Omdurman has seen fierce fighting, and the RSF shelled neighbourhoods there on Tuesday, three witnesses said.

Merowe, about 340 km to the north, has been largely unaffected by the conflict.

Bashir is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide charges relating to the conflict that escalated in Darfur from 2003.

Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein, a former minister also facing an ICC warrant, has been transferred to Merowe along with Bashir for treatment, according to Amin.

Another top former official, Bakri Hassan Saleh, one of Bashir's closest confidants during his three decades in power, had already been moved to a hospital in Merowe.