Sudan opposition repeats call for intifada

The National Consensus Forces (NCF) alliance of opposition parties has called on the Sudanese people to stand up against the “oppressive Khartoum regime”. According to the National Umma Party (NUP), Sudan has reached “a state of complete bankruptcy”.

In a statement on Thursday, the NCF pointed to the ongoing deterioration of the situation in the country. “It is going from bad to worse because of the failing government and its clumsy policies on all levels.”

According to allied opposition, “the only option” to save Sudan is “to take to the streets, embark on a political strike, and carry out various forms of civil disobedience in order to bring down the oppressive Khartoum regime”.

The NCF urged the people to establish district or village committees to organise the uprising.

The statement pointed to the public protests in January, against renewed austerity measures that led to the doubling and in some cases tripling of the prices of basic consumer goods. The authorities reacted by detaining not only demonstrators, but also dozens of opposition leaders. A number of journalists, including correspondents of foreign press agencies, were held as well.

In September-October 2013, widespread protests against subsidy cuts were quelled by the authorities. Any possible popular uprising that time was nipped in the bud by the violent response of security and militia forces. According to human rights organisations, about 200 protesters were killed in the country.

In end 2016, a large number of Sudanese political forces and civil society activists called for a nationwide civil disobedience action by staying at home on December 19, in order to avoid bloodshed on the streets. The action was not particularly successful.

‘Complete bankruptcy’

In a separate statement on Friday, the NUP warned that “the survival of the regime is becoming more and more threatening to the country”.

The NUP pointed to the deteriorating economic situation in the country –”a state of complete bankruptcy”– that can only be solved by a change of government.

“The regime has nothing to offer. In a friendly way, it is deliberately spreading lies and rumours as it is helpless,” the statement reads. “Moreover, [the regime] is not serious about the people’s livelihood and the dangers that beset the country.”

The opposition party called on “members and the Sudanese people” to take to the streets to push for the demise of the government. It emphasised that the right to demonstrate “is a right guaranteed by all religions and international covenants”.