Increased prices spark protests in Sudan’s capital
Article
Comments (0)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
September 26, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Hundreds of Sudanese citizens took to
the streets of their capital Khartoum on Monday and demonstrated for
hours against worsening economic conditions before being dispersed by
the police, eye witnesses told Sudan Tribune.
JPEG - 40.9 kb
(FILE photo) Al-Jazzera
Increased food prices and protracted waters cuts have recently sparked
a number of small protests in the highly-censored Sudanese capital,
but yesterday’s protest appeared to be the largest in scale.
The protestors began gathering in Buri district in eastern Khartoum,
clogging traffic on main roads and burning tires. Eye witnesses said
that nearly 300 protestors were chanting slogans denouncing increases
in prices and calling for overthrowing the government.
As the protest gained traction, units of the anti-riot police moved in
and dispersed the protestors using teargas.
Eye witnesses reported that the police had resorted to the excessive
use of force and kept chasing the protestors until late hours.
A release by the police said that their forces had contained “limited
riot incidents” which lasted from Monday’s afternoon until the evening
in Buri area.
The police press statement reported that “a number of individuals” had
gathered in Buri and blocked one of the roads leading to Al-Manshia
Bridge.
The police also alleged it had refrained from responding to the
protesting individuals and no injuries or losses were reported.
According to eye witnesses, security authorities had prevented
journalists from taking photos of the protest and confiscated their
cameras.
Sudan Tribune has also learned that the security authorities
instructed local newspapers to report the facts as described in the
police release and not to publish any further details.
The Sudanese government has largely escaped the wave of popular
revolts which swept through the Middle East and toppled authoritarian
regimes in Tunisia and neighboring Egypt and Libya.
Sudan’s economic situation has been at a tense point due to rising
inflation, weakening currency and loss of oil revenues as a result of
South Sudan’s secession.
Meanwhile, another bout of protests erupted in Al-Multaqa village in
the Northern State, where citizens demonstrated against lack of
municipal services.
A well-placed source told Sudan Tribune that the citizens called for
sacking the governor of the northern state, Fathi Khalil, and censured
the authorities for failing to provide them with basic services
including water supply which, according to the source, led to the
failure of the agricultural season and inflicted heavy financial
losses on local citizens.
In an interview this week with the London-based Al-Sharq al-Awsat
newspaper, Sudan’s president Omer Al-Bashir claimed that the increases
in food prices were “justified,” saying that the best way to fight
them is to boycott expensive food items.
The Sudanese government has been spearheading a campaign to persuade
citizens to boycott red meat in protest against its high prices.
Last week the Saudi government reportedly suspended imports of red
meat from Sudan over its increased prices, noting the price of lamb
for instance is sold by Sudan for over $100.
Officials of Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) accuse
mainstream opposition groups of attempting to mobilize the public to
rise against the government.
Public discontent with the economic situation in Sudan comes against
the backdrop of flaring conflicts between the government and rebel
groups in the country’s border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile
as well as in the western region of Darfur.
Click below to see video footage of the protest of Buri Lamab, an East
Khartoum suburb.
ST
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD
info" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
