Silent protest in Babanusa attracts other towns

Citizens from El-Mudla, Rigle Fula and El-Gantor in South Kordofan have reportedly joined the fourth day of a silent protest organized by Babanusa residents, Radio Dabanga was informed on Friday, 7 December. The protesters are demanding the provision of basic services in Babanusa, such as electricity, education, water and roads, sources affirmed.Besides, they are reportedly celebrating the participation of other citizens by naming the fourth day of demonstrations as the “Friday Victory”. On the same day, Babanusa residents renamed the square where the demonstration is taking place as the Tahrir Square (Liberation Square), witnesses recounted. Madi Kuku, member of the Babanusa youth association told Radio Dabanga that around 4.000 citizens participated in the Friday Victory. These people, he said, included butchers, merchants, trade unions and clerics. He said the demonstrators are giving authorities seven days to meet their demands, adding that they are not afraid of the government and are ready to be arrested and die. ‘Campaign of mass arrests’The Sudanese Network for Human Rights in South Kordofan recently declared in a statement that the state’s security services are carrying out a campaign of mass arrests in Dilling city.It claimed that 60 people were arrested since 18 November this year. The network expressed ‘great concern’ about the ongoing campaign and about the status of the detainees, particularly of the elders aged above 70 years old. According to the statement, the network received reports of confirmed cases of brutal torture carried out against the detainees by security services and military intelligence.It affirmed that a large number of the prisoners were transferred to Kadugli and are kept together in small, poorly ventilated cells.Radio Dabanga file photoSee also: 33 women detained for alleged SPLM-N support (15 November 2012)