Kobar Prison (Arabic: سجن كوبر), formerly known as Cooper prison, is one of the oldest prisons in Sudan, dating back to 1903.[1] It was built by the administration of the former Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (1899–1956) and was named 'Kobar' in Arabic after the British official Cooper, who was in charge of the prison’s early administration.[2]
Since its establishment, it has been Sudan's most notorious prison. It consists of six sections, and it was infamous for being the detention center for thousands of prisoners of conscience and politicians. In 2019, former President Omar al-Bashir was taken to this prison after having been overthrown in a coup d'etat.[3][4] In April 2023, during the 2023 Sudan conflict, a series of mass escapes occurred at many Sudanese prisons, including Kobar prison.[5]
The prison was built with bricks and is guarded by high concrete walls and can hold hundreds of prisoners in its small and overcrowded cells. Its surface area is about five thousand square meters and was designed like prisons in the United Kingdom of the early 20th century.[4][6] There is a special wing for political prisoners that has been used for the imprisonmentorexecution of former politicians or other well-known Sudanese personalities. During the government of Omar al-Bashir, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) was in charge of the prison's administration.[7]
