Event Summary
On 4 October 2025, humanitarian activist and photographer Nader Minallah Mahmoud was arbitrarily arrested in Damazin, the capital of Sudan’s Blue Nile State, without any legal basis. His detention followed a grueling two-day journey to Wad al-Mahi, after which he was hospitalized for severe exhaustion. Shortly after recovering, Nader voluntarily responded to a summons from the “Security Cell,” a joint force comprising the army, police, and intelligence services. Despite his compliance, authorities have not disclosed formal charges, the legal grounds for his arrest, or his place of detention, raising serious concerns for his safety.
This incident illustrates a dangerous escalation in Sudan’s systematic crackdown on civil and humanitarian work. Targeting a prominent humanitarian figure signals a deliberate strategy to silence independent voices and restrict civic space. The lack of transparency and due process not only violates individual rights but also undermines trust in state institutions, creating a climate of fear for activists and humanitarian workers. Such actions threaten the enabling environment for civil society, discouraging engagement and weakening efforts to deliver aid and advocate for human rights in a context already marked by conflict and instability.