Former Sudanese presidential candidate "arrested"

A former Sudanese presidential candidate has been arrested by state security, according to local media reports.

Kamil Idris, who was also the deputy chairman of the Sudanese Committee to Defend Rights and Freedom (SCDRF), was taken into custody on Thursday evening, the daily Al-Sahafah newspaper said.

It was not immediately clear on what charges he was being held.

SCDRF chairman Farouq Ahmad Adam called on security forces to release Idris immediately.

Idris was the head of the World Intellectual Property Organization from 1997 to 2008 when he stepped down amidst allegations of misconduct.

He later ran as an independent candidate in the 2010 Sudanese presidential elections, which were won by current president Omar al-Bashir.

The incident comes amid heated negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan, which were halted last week due to ongoing border disputes.

The negotiations are set to resume on the 19th of June in Addis Ababa, following calls from the African Union High Implementation Panel.

"The panel sent to us an invitation today to return to the negotiations table by 19th of this month," Sudanese chief negotiator Pagan Amum said on Wednesday.

Amum added that Sudan was committed to restoring peace with its neighbor, which gained independence last year.

"We have been talking since signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. For how long should we talk? We have to go for arbitration," he said.

Sudan and South Sudan came close to war earlier this year when a border dispute sparked the worst wave of violence since South Sudan split from its neighbor in July 2011.

(Al-Akhbar)