Darfur traders in strike against doubled taxes

West Darfur traders began a three-day strike on Wednesday against a decision by the state’s ministry of finance to double the figure they must pay in taxes to bring goods into the province. According to state regulations, any truck carrying commodities that enter West Darfur are subjected to pay a fee of three million Sudanese pounds ($680,000). West Darfur merchants must bear the costs themselves, which may be increased to seven million SDG ($1,600 million) per truck if the ministry’s decision is implemented. Speaking to Radio Dabanga, a businessman disclosed that the state’s trade union and the chamber of commerce will enter an open-ended strike after Friday’s deadline if the entrance fees are increased. Source confirmed that shops in El Geneina, the state’s capital, have their doors closed since Wednesday and that they will only be open again in the weekend. The state of West Darfur receives between 400 and 700 commercial trucks twice a month. They normally come from Khartoum and Nyala escorted by members of the Sudanese military due to security reasons. File photo