Sudan arrests three opposition figures: Party

Khartoum: Sudanese security agents arrested three opposition figures in Khartoum today, their party said, despite efforts by the government to persuade opponents to join national dialogue talks.

"The armed force of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) arrested three members of the Sudanese Congress Party," the party said in a statement.

The group had been detained in the Mayo suburb of Khartoum by police on Tuesday for delivering speeches criticising the government in public, the statement said.

NISS officers arrived at the station in Mayo the day after and took them to an unknown location, the Sudanese Congress said.

Several other party members and politicians have been detained by NISS in recent months for giving similar speeches.

The latest arrests come as Khartoum has redoubled its efforts to persuade opposition parties to join talks aimed at resolving the country's multiple crises.

The talks started on October 10 and were announced last January by President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court over crimes related to the conflict in the western Darfur region that erupted in 2003.

But most opposition and rebel groups have shunned the dialogue talks, demanding a meeting outside Sudan to agree the terms of the meeting.