Protests continue to hit Sudan’s capital
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October 2, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Protests driven by high-level prices
continued to sweep over sporadic parts of the Sudanese capital
Khartoum on Sunday, reaffirming public discontent with the country’s
economic woes.
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Protests in Sudan (FILE - REUTERS PICTURES)
The wave of rare protests, which started last Tuesday in the Burri
area in eastern Khartoum, quickly spread to several other areas in the
capital and in the twin city of Omdurman.
Demonstrators have been shouting slogans denouncing the government as
well as increases in prices.
Eye witnesses told Sudan Tribune that the protests renewed on Sunday
in Hai Nasir and Burri areas, where police forces used batons and
teargas to break up the demonstrators.
According to the witnesses, the protests also spilled over to the
up-market area of Al-Riyad but the police also broke up the
demonstrators using teargas.
Meanwhile, the authorities arrested the imam of a mosque in Alilafoon
area in Khartoum north because he called for renewed protests.
Sudan’s economic situation has been rapidly deteriorating in the run
up to, and after, the secession of South Sudan which took with it 75
percent of the country’s oil wealth.
This week, Sudan’s foreign minister Ali Karti painted a grim picture
of the country’s economic situation, describing it as “really serious”
and pleading for help to relieve Sudan’s external debts.
On the other hand, the Sudanese pound continued to slide sharply
against the dollar which now sells for over five pounds on the black
market, in stark contrast with the official rate of 2.7 pound for the
dollar.
The Central Bank of Sudan said in a statement on Saturday that the
slump in the pound’s exchange rate was due to “temporary factors”,
including the leakage of Sudanese pounds from South Sudan during the
currency conversion process and disbursement of severance pay recently
to Southerners who worked in the federal government.
Meanwhile, the vice-president of the ruling National Congress Party
(NCP), Nafi Ali Nafi, has accused the opposition Sudanese Communist
Party (SCP) of standing behind the unrest.
Addressing a conference of the NCP’s women sector on Sunday’s evening
in Khartoum, Nafi said that one of the SCP’s wealthy members was
financing the demonstrations.
The authorities also arrested demonstrators and an imam of a mosque
who called for protests.
Meanwhile, local newspapers received a stern warning by the National
Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) to refrain from reporting
any news on the protests.
Opposition to step up anti-government campaign
The alliance of mainstream opposition parties has announced it will
move to escalate dissent against the government of President Omer
Al-Bashir.
Faruq Abu Issa, spokesman of the opposition alliance, said in a
symposium held in Khartoum on Saturday that opposition groups were
united behind the slogan of changing the regime.
The opposition spokesman blamed the worsening economic conditions on
the “inept policies of the ruling National Congress Party”.
He further said that Sudan stands no chance of survival under the rule
of Al-Bashir’s regime, adding that they would innovate new methods to
topple the government.
(ST)
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