Former Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, 80 years old, was transferred from the city of Meroe in the north of the country to Aliya Military Hospital, affiliated with the Medical Corps in the capital, Khartoum, to continue treatment and undergo examinations, in light of the appearance of symptoms whose causes were unknown.
His lawyer, Muhammad Al-Hassan Al-Amin, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday that his client was transferred to Khartoum two weeks ago for periodic examinations, stressing that “there is nothing new in his health condition.” However, he indicated the appearance of some symptoms whose “causes have not been identified,” which may require him to travel outside the country later to undergo examinations using advanced equipment.
Al-Amin refrained from providing further details about Al-Bashir’s health condition, in compliance with laws related to protecting patients’ privacy and the confidentiality of their medical information. However, he stated that the former president frequently suffers from low blood pressure and infections, adding: “This is all we can disclose at this stage.”
Al-Amin explained that Al-Bashir’s transfer to Khartoum came after the security situation in the state stabilized recently, indicating that there are no longer reasons for him to remain in detention in the city of Merawi. He added that his client moves between prison and hospital to complete his treatment.
Regarding what is being said about the Sudanese authorities’ approval for Al-Bashir to travel abroad, Al-Amin said: “There is no official decision yet,” but he pointed out that some government officials, whom he did not name, expressed their lack of objection. He added: “This request was raised more than a year ago, but there has been no progress in implementing it.”
Al-Amin confirmed that the same official authorities facilitated the travel of former Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh to the Turkish capital, Ankara, to receive treatment, revealing for the first time his presence outside the country.
The International Criminal Court accuses Al-Bashir of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region during his rule. He was also convicted on charges of corruption and illicit financing, and faced further trials before the outbreak of war in April 2023. He was then detained at a military base in Omdurman, before being transferred to Merowe in northern Sudan.
Sudanese media reports reported that the former president’s health condition had deteriorated significantly over the past few days, which necessitated his transfer to Khartoum.
On the other hand, high-level sources told Asharq Al-Awsat refuted what was said about the deterioration of Al-Bashir’s health, and said that the recent measures aim to pave the way for his travel outside the country, in anticipation of any political transformations at home or developments in the countries of the region.
The sources said that the Islamists are seeking to anticipate possible rapid transformations in the political scene, which may put the authority led by the head of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in great embarrassment before the International Criminal Court if al-Bashir remains inside the country. According to the sources, who preferred to remain anonymous, prominent Islamic leaders in the isolated National Congress Party had made contacts earlier to arrange the transfer of Al-Bashir to a foreign country, after obtaining its approval to receive him. The sources added that the ousted president had previously been offered to move to Eritrea, but he refused, even though Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki had expressed his willingness to host him.
The sources considered that talk about Al-Bashir’s deteriorating health is not related to his health condition, but rather falls within the framework of purely politically motivated arrangements.
For his part, the official spokesman for the indictment in the case of the 1989 coup led by Al-Bashir, lawyer Moez Hadra, said that the Sudanese Criminal Procedure Code of 1991 does not allow any accused or convict to be allowed to travel outside the country. Hadra explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the judicial authority, according to the law, is the only body that controls the whereabouts of the accused, and not any other body, political, military, or other.”
He added that Al-Bashir is facing several complaints, and therefore “the proper legal procedure is for him to receive treatment in prison or in government hospitals under the supervision of the judicial authority.” He considered that “if what is being said about an attempt to transfer him abroad is true, this constitutes smuggling of an accused.”
Al-Bashir and 27 of his Islamist associates are being tried on charges of undermining the constitutional order, which carries a death penalty according to Sudanese laws, against the backdrop of the June 30, 1989 coup, in which the Islamic Front seized power. The most prominent defendants in the case include Ali Othman Muhammad Taha, the former deputy of Hassan al-Turabi, and Bakri Hassan Saleh, the former deputy of al-Bashir, in addition to military and civilian leaders who participated in the coup.
On Wednesday, Egyptian assurances were renewed to support international efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive Libyan-Libyan political settlement, with an emphasis on Cairo’s adherence to Libyan ownership of the political process, during Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty’s reception of the UN envoy to Libya, Hannah Tetteh, in Cairo.
The meeting comes at a time when attention is turning to an upcoming session of the Security Council next October to discuss developments in the political track in Libya, at a time when the UN mission is seeking to advance the road map it put forward to address the outstanding issues, most notably an agreement sponsored last month between the “National Army” in the east and the interim “National Unity” government in the west (4 + 4) on the constitutional and legal framework regulating the elections.
According to the UN mission’s statement, Abdel Ati and Tetteh’s consultations dealt with ways to build on the recent agreement of the “4 + 4” committee, and the necessary steps to create favorable conditions for holding elections within a period of 24 months. On the other hand, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ statement was more extensive, as it referred to “the developments in the political and security situation in Libya, and the efforts made to advance the political process within the framework of the road map sponsored by the United Nations.”
According to the statement, Abdel-Aty reaffirmed “Egypt’s support for the international efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive Libyan-Libyan political settlement,” stressing “the need for the political process to remain Libyan-owned and led.” He also stressed the importance of pushing for the simultaneous holding of presidential and legislative elections, ending the transitional stages, and unifying Libyan state institutions, in a way that respects Libya’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Cairo's position comes in light of the continuing Libyan disagreement regarding the outcomes of the mini-track sponsored by the UN mission between representatives of the military, security and political institutions in the east and west of the country, which at the end of last August reached arrangements related to the laws regulating the electoral process.
The head of the Arab Affairs Committee in the Egyptian House of Representatives, Mohamed Salah Abu Hamila, previously indicated during an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that Egyptian efforts in the Libyan file are based on a strategy that rejects any violation of the country’s unity or division, considering that the Libyan file “represents an important axis of Egyptian national security,” and that Libya’s security and stability “constitute a major goal of Egyptian foreign policy.”
The Supreme Council of State in Libya still has reservations about the outcomes of the “4 + 4” process, which were approved by the House of Representatives and included in its official decisions recently. On Tuesday, the Council’s Political Committee concluded by rejecting the procedures related to these outcomes “in form and substance,” while proceeding to prepare a brief memorandum containing its legal and political observations, in preparation for referring it to the Council Presidency and the relevant authorities.
The committee stressed the need for any amendments or arrangements related to the electoral process to be made within the legal and constitutional frameworks, taking into account consensus mechanisms between the competent institutions. The First Deputy President of the Supreme Council of State, Naji Mukhtar, accompanied by a number of members of the Council, also held a meeting with representatives of the “National Unity” government participating in the “4 + 4” track, to inquire about the details of the track and its outcomes.
In this regard, the UN mission conveyed, in a statement following the meeting with Abdel Ati and Tetteh on Wednesday, that “the mission will continue its engagement with the two councils to provide the opportunity to move forward with the implementation of the political agreement.”
The UN and Egyptian movements coincide with the continuation of a parallel American path led by Massad Boulos, the US President’s senior advisor for Arab and African affairs, focusing on unifying Libyan institutions and supporting a path that leads to national elections, which also includes - according to what was leaked about it - unifying the parties to the Libyan conflict in a unified executive authority.
The American and international tracks differ in their tools, but they agree on the goal of unifying state institutions and creating conditions for national elections. Paul had previously confirmed Washington's support for the UN road map, which aims to reach unified rule and hold national elections.
The Egyptian House of Representatives agreed, on Wednesday, to postpone implementation of the “Criminal Procedures” law - which was issued about a year ago and was supposed to enter into force on Thursday - until October 2027, under the pretext of “lack of technical readiness to implement it,” at a time when the decision strengthened “the hopes of the law’s critics to replace it or amend some of its controversial articles.”
On Tuesday evening, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called on the House of Representatives to convene in an emergency session on Wednesday, one day before the House was scheduled to convene to begin a new legislative term in early October 2026.
The “Criminal Procedures” law is considered one of the most controversial laws in Egypt, as it took months to be discussed in the Council, with human rights activists and professional unions rejecting a number of its articles, before the House of Representatives approved it in April 2025.
After several months, President Sisi refused to sign it, and asked Parliament to reconsider some of its articles, in September of the same year, before issuing it last November, including an article setting the date of its entry into force at the beginning of the new judicial year, in October 2026.
The House of Representatives’ decision, on Wednesday, came “as a result of a tenth of the House members submitting a single-article draft law stipulating postponement due to lack of infrastructure readiness,” according to a member of the House’s Legislative Committee, constitutional expert Salah Fawzi, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that “the postponement is for the purpose of improving the performance of justice.”
Fawzi added, “What happened on Wednesday is an example of integration between the authorities, and not complete separation as some call for. The representatives noticed the lack of readiness, and presented the project, and the government approved and supported it in the Council, until it was postponed in the interest of the justice system.”
During the plenary session, on Wednesday, the government pushed to postpone the implementation of “criminal procedures,” and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Hani Hanna, said that “the criminal courts are ready, but some second-degree courts are being implemented,” stressing that “a year is sufficient to complete the preparations.”
He appreciated the efforts of the representatives who submitted the draft law, and their keenness to ensure its implementation in an integrated manner, in a way that achieves its goals without its implementation resulting in any problems or unintended effects.
While the government was reviewing its efforts to train court workers and provide training for lawyers on the remote litigation system, lawyers and human rights activists were praising the decision to postpone, based on other perceptions that see “infrastructure” as only a justification for postponing implementation, which may be followed by other steps, whether re-discussing the law and issuing another law, or amending some of its articles.
Lawyer Hassan Shoman believes that “there are some controversial articles in the law,” according to him, including “allowing the Public Prosecution to investigate the accused in special cases without the presence of a lawyer,” as well as ambiguity regarding the remote litigation system and how to implement it, considering that “the draft law did not take enough time to discuss it.”
The decision to postpone the implementation of “criminal procedures” revived the momentum of conversation about the articles of the law and objections to it on social media sites, and more than one human rights lawyer published explanations about the reasons for their rejection of the law.
The Secretary-General of the Bar Association, Mahmoud Al-Dakhili, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the union has objections to the law, some of which have been considered, and others have not been responded to,” but “challenging the unconstitutionality of some articles also requires starting to implement the law.”
It is likely that the reason for the postponement was the “technical lack of readiness” that had already been announced, and not for other purposes related to amending its articles. The same matter was confirmed by Fawzi, saying that “the purpose of the postponement is to provide an opportunity for training and qualification, and it has nothing to do with amending the articles of the law.”
