Sudan general strike swells on second day

The second day of the mass strike called for May 28-29 by the Alliance for Freedom and Change (AFC), on Wednesday expanded into new vital sectors in Khartoum and the states.

Witnesses said the Khartoum Land Port was completely empty of passengers because of the 100 per cent strike of all travel buses drivers.

The meteorological department staff and a number of carriers continued to strike while the internal flights continued to be cancelled at Khartoum airport.

Omdurman National Bank joined the list of striking banks as the rest of the ministries, government institutions, electricity and private sector companies continue to strike.

Red Sea ports

In Red Sea state, work at the ports was completely paralysed for the second day in a row on Wednesday, by a commitment to the strike announced by the Alliance for Freedom and Change.

A port worker told Radio Dabanga that the chairman of the military committee of the council [?] tried to prevent the strike but the port workers refused  and emphasised their commitment to the declared strike and demanded the expulsion of the Philippine company, prosecution of corrupt authorities, and continue to strike in various governmental and private facilities such as hospitals, banks, university and private sector institutions.

Journalist Amin Sinada told Radio Dabanga “The port corporation, which is the most important economic resource of the Red Sea state, has seen a wide response to the strike”. He explained that the localities of Jebeit, Sinkat and Suakin witnessed a successful strike for workers in the health sector as well.

El Gedaref

In El Gedaref, the acting governor, the police chief and a number of military officials stormed the Savings Bank to force the staff to break their strike on its second day. Jaafar Khidir told Radio Dabanga that the bank's staff did not respond to the governor's threats and continued their strike.

Khidir said that the rate of implementation of the strike in different sectors in El Gedaref exceeded 80 per cent.

He pointed to a wide response to the strike among schoolteachers in the state’s localities at rates ranging from 100-80 percent.

In South Kordofan and Blue Nile, the second day of the strike was marked by wide participation from all sectors of professionals, the private sector and government institutions.

The Alliance for Freedom and Change in Blue Nile estimated it to be 100 percent. As for the South Kordofan, AFC estimated the participation rate by 65 percent while the strike rate in banks and among lawyers was 100 percent.

The Alliance for Freedom and Change in West Kordofan estimated participation in the strike by more than 70 percent.

Darfur, Kordofan

In the capitals of the five Darfur states and North Kordofan, the Sudanese strike in their various sectors and professionals continued.

El Obeid in North Kordofan, El Fasher in North Darfur, Nyala in South Darfur, Ed Daein in East Darfur, Zalingei in Central Darfur, and El Geneina in West Darfur witnessed strikes by different from the professional sectors, government institutions and private sector entities, while the strike was 100 percent in banks and professional sectors such as doctors and lawyers.

Nyala and Ed Daein power plants also witnessed a strike.

Hemeti

The deputy chairman of the Transitional Military Council, Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan (aka Hemeti) accused countries he did not name of targeting Sudan, referring to the general strike witnessed by the country, pointing out that “competent agencies are recording large-scale intelligence activities in the country”.

He told native administration leaders at a Ramadan iftar (breaking of the fast) on Tuesday “The strike is causing problems in electricity, water, communications, aviation, and land travel”.

He considered the strike humiliating to the people.

Hemeti accused unknown parties of paying money to bus owners to persuade them to participate in the general strike. “We know the sources of the funds and we will report them in due course.”

He sharply criticised the strike by local airlines personnel, pointing out that some of the participants in the strike are corrupt and belong to the old regime, trying to improve their image in order to escape accountability, and stressed not to close the door to negotiate with the requirement of participation of all.

---

Our editorial independence means that we can continue to provide factual updates about ongoing protests to Sudanese and international actors, educate people about how to avoid outbreaks of infectious diseases, and provide a window to the world for those in all corners of Sudan. Support Radio Dabanga for as little as €2.50, the equivalent of a cup of coffee.