Port Sudan kiosk owners call strike

Kiosk owners at the Port Sudan Grand Market have threatened to strike unless they are allocated new places to sell their goods following the demolition of newspaper stands.

Abdellatif Omar has been a kiosk owner for 35 years. Without warning, authorities in the capital of Red Sea state told him last week to pack his newspapers and other goods from his shop. “They told me I had one hour to collect everything.”

The authorities accused Omar and other kiosk owners of engagement in unauthorised activities such as selling telephone chips and transferring credit service. “We have nothing to do with these activities.”

Yesterday, he saw that local authorities tore-down about five more shops, bringing the total number of demolished shops to fifteen. They now display their newspapers on the ground, waiting for a solution.

“The head of the union of newspaper distributors, Awad Hassan Kayal, will hold a meeting with the commissioner. If he does not reach a solution, we will carry out a strike.”