By Mohamed al-Khatem
KHARTOUM, Sudan
Sudanese authorities on Friday released a senior leader of the opposition National Umma Party, hours after being detained, a party official said.
"Secretary-General of the Umma Party Sarah Naqdallah was released by security agencies," party deputy chairwoman Mariam al-Sadeq al-Mahdi told Anadolu Agency.
Naqdallah and seven other people were detained late Thursday after participating in a memorial service for a protester killed in anti-regime demonstrations last year.
The daughter of Umma party chairman, Rabah Sadeq al-Mahdi, was among those detained by Sudanese authorities.
Meanwhile, al-Mahdi said that Sudanese authorities had barred Umma Party deputy chairman Mohamed Abdullah al-Douma from travelling to Kenya.
There was no comment from the Sudanese authorities on the allegation.
Tension has risen in Sudan in recent days amid calls for protests to mark the passage of one year since security forces violently dispersed anti-regime protests across the country.
Late last year, Sudan was rocked by massive protests against a raft of austerity measures announced by the Khartoum government.
According to official estimates, at least 70 people were killed in clashes that accompanied the protests, although Amnesty International has put the death toll at 200.
While the opposition accuses Sudanese security forces of having gunned down unarmed protestors, the government has blamed rebel groups for the violence.
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