Kassala opposition: ‘State of Emergency unjustifiable’

The opposition political parties in Sudan’s Kassala state have rejected the Republican Decree issued by Sudan’s President Omar Al Bashir declaring a State of Emergency in Kassala for six months, branding it ‘unjustifiable’.

At a seminar held at the headquarters of opposition Unified National Unionist Party in Kassala on the occasion of Independence Day on Monday, a number of representatives of opposition parties questioned the government's justification for imposing a State of Emergency and associating it with weapons collection, fighting the drug trade, and human trafficking.

They explained that “the government surely knows the whereabouts of weapons, those responsible for human trafficking, and the smuggling of fuel.”

Hamrour Hussein, President of the Unified National Unionist Party in Kassala, accused the government of failing to secure the border in the face of those who smuggle flour and fuel to neighbouring countries.

He said that human trafficking is increasing and harshly criticised the authorities for neglecting El Gash agricultural project and stopping the sources of income of the productive groups such as the vegetable and the meat markets in order to empower the pro-government traders.

Security committee

Kassala state security committee held a meeting chaired by Governor Adam Jamaa which discussed the implementation of the Republican Decree declaring a State of Emergency through a joint force of police, security, armed forces and the other forces entrusted with carrying out the collection and control of arms and the licensing of vehicles.

Major General Yahya El Hadi Suleiman, the state police chief, said that the decree grants the authorities the right to search, track and lift the immunities granted to any person.

He explained that the security committee discussed the position of supply of petroleum and flour goods.

He pointed out that it has taken in this regard a number of decisions of monitoring and tracking of fuel within the stations and the prevention of the of filling jerry cans.