The Netherlands requested the departure of three diplomats at the Sudanese embassy in The Hague between 2012 and 2019 because they transpired to be members of the NISS security service, the NRC reported on Tuesday.

The three consuls kept opponents of the regime who had fled to the Netherlands under observation and on occasion intimidated them, the paper said. The paper bases its claims on talks with ex-embassy officials, foreign ministry staff and members of the Sudanese community.

Sudanese refugees have warned the foreign ministry for some time about consuls allied to the NISS. In addition, there are strong signals that the authorities in Sudan have imprisoned and tortured would-be refugees who failed to win residency rights in the Netherlands and who were deported, the paper said.

The Netherlands has deported 16 failed refugees to Sudan since 2011 when it signed a return agreement with the Sudan government.