The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has documented the arrest of lawyer Khalafallah Hussein Abdelaziz by security authorities in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, on 17 January 2026, without providing any legal justification or bringing formal charges against him. This incident comes amid escalating violations against civilians and legal professionals since the outbreak of the armed conflict in the country.
According to local sources, lawyer Khalafallah Hussein was transferred to the offices of the General Intelligence Service in El Obeid, where he remains in detention to date. He has been denied contact with his family and legal counsel and has not been presented before any competent judicial authority, constituting a clear violation of fundamental legal safeguards.
The Committee for Justice notes that Khalafallah Hussein, a native of El Obeid’s Al‑Rahma neighborhood (West), practices law through his office in Omdurman. He had returned to his hometown following the outbreak of war in Khartoum, before being arbitrarily arrested without any legal basis.
CFJ affirms that this arrest occurs within the context of a systematic policy pursued by security forces since 15 April 2023, involving widespread arrest campaigns targeting lawyers, activists, and social actors under vague security pretexts. Such practices amount to arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance.
The Committee considers these practices to constitute grave violations of constitutional and legal rights, foremost among them the right to liberty and personal security, in addition to their clear contravention of international human rights treaties and conventions.
The Committee for Justice calls for the immediate and unconditional release of lawyer Khalafallah Hussein Abdelaziz, or the prompt disclosure of his place of detention, and for ensuring his physical and psychological safety, holding the security authorities fully legally responsible for his life and well‑being.
CFJ also warns of the dangers posed by the continued policy of arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, and politically motivated fabricated charges, accompanied by sham judicial procedures, stressing that such practices undermine the rule of law, deepen impunity, and further exacerbate the suffering of civilians in conflict‑affected areas.
