Beja nazirs warn of dire consequences if political settlement ignores eastern Sudanese

Abdallah Obshar, the spokesperson for the High Council of Beja Nazirs* and Independent Chieftains in eastern Sudan, has warned of the dire consequences of any political settlement in which the eastern Sudanese are not involved.

In an address at the Beja Club in Port Sudan, Red Sea state, Obshar said that at least 39 Beja supporters of the council were killed in the past two years of protests against the Eastern Sudan Track protocol as laid down in the Juba Peace Agreement signed on October 3, 2020, by the Sudanese government led by PM Abdallah Hamdok and the Sudan Revolutionary Front, an alliance of a number of rebel movements.

The Beja nazirs’ spokesperson accused of the Supreme Committee for Addressing the Situation in Eastern Sudan, headed by Deputy-Chair of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council and Commander of the infamous Rapid Support Forces Gen Hohamed Hamdan ‘Hemeti’ Dagalo, of unacceptable interference in eastern issues, practicing divide and rule within the Council, and seeking to abort the Beja revolution in eastern Sudan.

He accused the signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement of seeking to dominate eastern Sudan's resources, especially the mines and ports.

Obshar further criticised the Ministry of Finance's efforts to establish a new UAE-financed port in the Red Sea ignoring the Maritime Ports Authority.

Last week, Head of the High Council of Beja Nazirs and Independent Chieftains Sayed Mohamed El Amin Tirik said that eastern Sudan is not part of the ongoing dialogue and called for a negotiating platform with international support.

He said that the entire council will participate in a conference on the third day of the Eid El Adha [the Muslim Feast of the Sacrifice that will start tomorrow], to discuss initiatives proposed by member groups to solve the crisis concerning the future of the region.

Tirik invited regional and international organisations and ambassadors to attend the conference and explained that the decisions of the Sinkat Conference will be presented at the conference.

He praised the authorities’ response suspending the Eastern Sudan Peace Track Protocol and forming a committee together with nazirs “to demarcate tribal borders”.

* A nazir is a state-appointed administrative chief of a tribe or clan, according to the Native Administration system in Sudan.