Long-haul bus drivers strike in Khartoum

Bus drivers at Khartoum’s regional bus station carried out a strike on Sunday, calling for better payment and services. The strike caused thousands of travellers to cancel their trip to and from Khartoum.

Others profited from the strike. Tickets to Kassala, New Halfa, and El Gedaref in eastern Sudan rose to SDG 1,800 ($32,65*). A ticket to Wad Madani, capital of El Gezira, was sold for SDG 1,000 ($18,15).

The striking bus drivers demand salaries, financial incentives, management committees for union work, health insurance, social security and fuel control at petrol stations. They also decry withdrawals of their driving licenses, fines, and the large number of levies they have to pay on the roads.

Central Darfur farmers

Yesterday, the farmers carried out a sit-in within the Ministry of Agriculture in Zalingei, capital of Central Darfur, to protest “against the state’s neglect of farmers’ issues, shortages of fuel, and high prices for fuel”.

The protesters delivered a memorandum to the ministry calling for the provision of fuel, fertilizers, pesticides, and improved seeds. They also seek support for small farmers through microfinance projects.

* USD 1 = SDG 55.14 at the time of publishing this article. As effective foreign exchange rates can vary in Sudan, Radio Dabanga bases all SDG currency conversions on the daily US Dollar rate quoted by the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS)

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