Sudan’s Anti-Corruption Committee forms branches in the states

The Empowerment Elimination, Anti-Corruption, and Funds Recovery Committee announced the long-awaited establishment of branches in 15 of the 18 Sudanese states. People in El Borgeig in Northern State set up a sit-in yesterday in protest against mismanagement in the locality. Protestors in Omdurman blocked the roads of Ombadda to lend force to their demands. The employees of Kenana Sugar Company in White Nile state lifted their sit-in yesterday.

The Anti-Corruption Committee announced on Sunday that branches have been formed in 15 of Sudan’s 18 states.

In Khartoum state, Dismantling Committees are being established at the various localities, Wajdi Saleh, member of the Empowerment Elimination Committee said in a press conference at the premises of the Sudan News Agency in Khartoum. In White Nile state and South Kordofan, committees have yet to be established.

Saleh indicated that the members of the committees do not receive a salary, but have to make do with incentives. These “sincere revolutionaries” are working voluntarily in order to realise the demands of the revolution.

He emphasised the importance of “constant monitoring and corrections of the work of the Empowerment Elimination Committee, “in order to achieve real freedom, peace, and justice”.

A new committee has been set-up to work on the dismissal of a number of government employees. The Anti-Corruption Committee further decided to withdraw the permit of the Islamic Daawa (Call) Organisation.

Mismanagement

Activists in El Borgeig in Northern State also demand the replacement of the locality management.

On Sunday, members of Resistance Committees went to the streets in Kerma in protest against the corruption in the locality.

When the authorities did not respond, they decided to set up a sit-in, a leading member of the Forces of Freedom and Change in the locality told Radio Dabanga.

“We demanded the government of the Northern State several times to change the employees of the former era in order to eliminate the continuing corruption in the locality, but their demands did not find any response, which prompted the Resistance Committees to escalate their actions,” he said.

Escalation

Yesterday, members of Resistance Committees active in the neighbourhoods of Ombadda in Omdurman closed the roads in the administrative unit, as part of the measures taken to lend force to their demands.

The activists in Ombadda started a sit-in 26 days ago in protest against the management of Dar El Salam locality, of which Ombadda forms a large part. They want the officials of Dar El Salam appointed during the regime of Omar Al Bashir to be replaced.

They further demand dismissal of the managers of the Water Corporation in the locality and the restructuring of the Zakat [Muslim alms] Chamber.

Lifted

The governor of White Nile state, Ismail Warrag, reported on his Facebook page that the sit-in in Kenana was lifted following a meeting with the protest leaders on the implications of the strike for the company’s production.

The staff of the Kenana Sugar Company laid down their tools and started a sit-in on August 19, demanding the management to accept the new steering committee of the Workers Union consisting of new members not affiliated with the former regime of Omar Al Bashir.

They also called for the re-employment of staff members who were dismissed because they participated in the revolution.

In response, the management threatened to cut the salaries of the striking workers.

The federal Minister of Industry and Trade, Madani Abbas, representatives of the Forces for Freedom and Change, and other concerned officials joined the meeting organised by the governor on Monday.

Governor Warrag stated that “after extensive talks” the demands of the protesters were approved, and the sit-in was lifted.

'Empowerment'

Empowerment (tamkin) is the term with which the ousted government of Omar Al Bashir supported its affiliates in state affairs by granting them far-going privileges, including government functions and the setting-up of various companies.

The Empowerment Elimination, Anti-Corruption, and Funds Recovery Committee was formed in November 2019 after the transitional government approved a law to dismantle the institutions set-up by the regime of Omar Al Bashir and his National Congress Party (NCP).

Since then, the Committee has been instrumental in breaking the party’s grip on the political scene and state resources. However, many officials linked with the former regime are still deployed on state and locality levels.

On September 17, activists in El Gedaref organised a vigil in protest against the appointment of two officials of the former National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) to the Sudanese embassies in Chad and Saudi Arabia.

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