Clubhouse ordered to cancel demo activities in Port Sudan

A club in Port Sudan, the capital of Red Sea state, is threatened with closure for organising protest activities against the privatisation procedure of the seaports, which is opposed by seaports workers.

The security apparatus in the city has threatened to close El Beja clubhouse after ordering its owner, Hamed Abu Fatima, to cancel a meeting between members of the Beja Congress party, political parties, and representatives of civil society organisations that was scheduled for Friday.

Activist Mohamed Karrar told Radio Dabanga that they wanted to form a mechanism to act against the privatisation of seaports. “It has been postponed for a while to find a new place to have this meeting.”

Osman Tahir, the head of the Alternative Port Workers Union, has condemned the security apparatus' prevention of their demonstration activities. “It is a clear violation of the freedom of gathering, and a negative message of the forces that participate in the National Dialogue.”

Tahir said that the union made demands to the security committee of Red Sea state “over ten times” in an attempt to legally allow them to gather and protest the privatisation. The committee has not responded to their demands so far.

In February a sit-in by workers who were dismissed by the Sea Ports Corporation took place in front of the State Legislative Council. They handed a memorandum to its chair, holding their complaints about how the large number of dismissals affects the lives of many families and that they view the developments as a prelude to the privatisation of the port.