Sudanese Communist Party criticises lifting of fuel, sugar subsidies

The General Secretary of the Sudanese Communist Party, Mohamed Mokhtar Al Khatib has criticised a plan by the Khartoum regime to lift subsidies on fuel and sugar over the next few weeks. In an interview with Radio Dabanga on Monday, Al Khatib asserted that the move is “aimed to finance the exaggerated spending of the ruling regime’s staff.” Al Khatib also said that the move would “finance wars ignited in Darfur, South and North Kordofan and Blue Nile states in addition to financing its security services”. He affirmed that “the government gains SDG12 ($2.75) for each gallon of petrol, SDG7 ($1.60) per gallon of diesel through oil refining; this along with its income from other derivatives such as gas, furnace, jet fuel and kerosene. “The government sells a kilowatt of electricity to citizens in the residential neighbourhoods for 15 piasters and the commercial rate at 26 piasters while the cost price of a kilowatt does not exceed 10 piasters,” the General Secretary pointed out, adding that the move would effectively double the cost of sugar to consumers. File photo: Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders waiting to be filled in Darfur (detail from photo by Albert González Farran/UNAMID) Related: Fuel prices, transport fares double in Nyala, South Darfur (27 June 2013) ‘Fuel price rise may impact on commodity prices in Sudan’ (25 June 2013)