Produce vendors refuse to move market in Kassala, eastern Sudan

The leaders of the Union of Butchers, Vegetable and Fruit Vendors have been summoned by security officials over their refusal to relocate to a market on the eastern edge of the city of Kassala.

The vendors have refused to relocate to the new market site, saying that the authorities have not put enough thought into the decision. They say that their customers will suffer. The vendors have also refused to draw lots for shops and stalls in the new market, saying that the authorities have breached agreements with them.

The head of the Democratic Unionist Party in Kassala, Mohammad Hassan Ehemir, said that the site is not suitable; “people would be affected because access to it requires use of transportation twice”.

He explained that “people will suffer because the new site is on the outskirts of the city. The decision to move the market is not thoughtful”, he concluded.