Call for protest against deterioration of services in Sudan’s capital

The National Consensus Forces (NCF) have called on the residents of Khartoum to take to the streets in protest against the deterioration of the basic services in the state.

“A number of schools in Omdurman had to close on Tuesday because of drinking water outages,” Mohamed Diaeldin, prominent member of the NCF, a coalition of leftist opposition parties, told Radio Dabanga.

“Most of the localities of Khartoum state are witnessing continuous interruptions in the provision of water and electricity provision. And the authorities do not give any prior information to the people when and where this will happen,” he said.

“Then there is the regular shortage of bread – which is aggravated by the manipulation of the weight of the pieces, while government control is absent.”

“Therefore we urge the residents of Khartoum to take to the streets in a peaceful demonstration and demand the restoration of their stolen rights to a decent living”.

The activist further denounced the levies imposed by the authorities on the people and shop owners, and the repeated detention campaigns against street vendors and tea sellers.

He pointed as well to the deterioration of health and education services in Khartoum, and to the shortage of buses in the city. “The unspecified increases in tariffs exacerbates the suffering of the people,” he said.

“Therefore we urge the residents of Khartoum to take to the streets in a peaceful demonstration and demand the dismissal of the state government and the restoration of their stolen rights to a decent living”.