Sudan Resistance Committee member wounded in clashes

In clashes between the Resistance Committees and supporters of the former regime, a member of the Resistance Committees was wounded in Shendi, River Nile state on Thursday.

Mukhtar Abdallah, a member of the Shendi Resistance Committees, told Radio Dabanga that the Shendi Resistance Committees had organized an event for peaceful coexistence and that they were attacked by a group supporting the former regime. He said that the police intervened using stun grenades to disperse the clashes.

Khader El Mamoun was wounded during the clashes. No further information about his welfare was reported.

The incident caused the River Nile state security forces to cancel the visit of a leading delegation to Shendi headed by Aisha Mousa, member of the Sovereign Council, and Walaa El Boushi, Minister of Youth and Sports. The delegation has been in Atbara and the state capital, Ed Damer, following calls for rejection of the authority of the state, due to the detention of one of the state leaders by the Empowerment Elimination, Anti-Corruption, and Funds Recovery Committee*.

Last week, students burned tires and closed the main street in front of the Atbara Industrial School, condemning the deteriorating economic situation and high prices of meals in schools.

Water protests

In South Kordofan, the city of Delling witnessed protests following drinking water shortages. The protesters accused the water corporation of cutting off the water supply. People in Delling told Radio Dabanga that the city has witnessed a severe crisis in drinking water for weeks, with the price of a barrel of water rising to SDG 200**.They said that the water crisis has led people to protest and close off the main reservoir.

The water corporation pledged to restore the flow of water within the next two days.

During water shortages last year, residents talked to Radio Dabanga about the poor management of water administration in the town.

Demonstrations and road closures continued in a number of districts in Khartoum State in protest against the rising living costs on Wednesday. Earlier this week, the protesters also condemned police suppression of the protests that took place on Sunday in more than 20 neighbourhoods in Khartoum, as well as in Port Sudan, Wad Madani, and El Obeid.

* The Committee was established by the government of PM Abdallah Hamdok at the end of last year, with the aim to purge Sudan of the remnants of the Al Bashir regime and his National Congress Party. Since then, the committee has been instrumental in breaking the party’s grip on the political scene and state resources.

** USD 1 = SDG 55.1375 at the time of posting, according to the daily middle US Dollar rate quoted by the CBoS. Effective foreign exchange rates however can vary widely on Sudan’s parallel market, where the greenback sold this morning for between SDG 320 and SDG 330.