US transfers 2 Guantanamo detainees to Sudan
President Barack Obama's campaign pledge to close the US detention centre in Guantanamo takes a step nearer as two Sudanese are repatriated
The United States announced on Wednesday it had transferred two Sudanese detainees from Guantanamo to their home country, its second release this week as President Barack Obama works to close the prison.
Noor Uthman Muhammed, 51, and Ibrahim Othman Ibrahim Idris, 52, were the last Sudanese prisoners at the US naval base in southern Cuba, a US defence official told reporters.
They were both considered by the US military to be members of al-Qaeda and were sent to Guantanamo in 2002.
Idris, seen by the Pentagon as a “veteran” member of the terror network who swore loyalty to its late leader Osama bin Laden in the 1990s, was among the first detainees to arrive at Guantanamo Bay on January 11, 2002. Muhammed arrived in May of that year.
In exchange for a guilty plea to terror offences in February 2011, part of Muhammed’s 14-year sentence was suspended and he completed his term on December 3.
Idris, who had been cleared for transfer since 2009 by an inter-agency task force, was released following an October court order from the US District Court in Washington.
“As directed by the president’s January 22, 2009, executive order, the task force conducted a comprehensive review of Idris’ case, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, in making that designation,” Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Todd Breasseale said.
It said the Obama administration informed Congress of its intent to transfer both men, as required by law.
“The United States co-ordinated with the government of Sudan regarding appropriate security measures and to ensure that these transfers are consistent with our humane treatment policy,” Breasseale said in a statement.
The transfers came as Obama accelerates repatriations to meet his campaign promise of closing the prison opened by his predecessor George W Bush in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States to house suspects captured around the world.
On Monday, the Pentagon announced the transfer of two detainees to Saudi Arabia – Saad Muhammad Husayn Qahtani and Hamood Abdulla Hamood.
On December 5, two Algerians were also repatriated from Guantanamo, despite the prisoners’ protests they could face persecution there.
A total of 158 prisoners now remain at Guantanamo.