Sudan frees detained anti-coup figures: party

Sudanese authorities freed two Communist Party anti-coup figures on Friday, a day after their arrest, according to the party.

The military’s takeover of Sudan in October sparked nationwide protests, which sparked a crackdown that has killed at least 95 protesters and injured hundreds, according to medics.

Hundreds have also been arrested after rallies calling for civilian rule in the northeast African nation.

On Thursday during protests mainly in the capital Khartoum, authorities arrested the Communist Party’s political secretary Mohammed Mukhtar al-Khatib and another member.

They were detained after meeting rebel leader Abdel Wahid Nour who has refused to sign a landmark 2020 peace deal with the Sudanese government, the party said.

The pair were released on Friday, it said.

Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led the coup, pledged in April to release political detainees to set the state for talks among Sudanese factions.

The military power grab last year drew international condemnation.

To resolve the crisis, the United Nations and the African Union have called for dialogue between all Sudanese factions.