SCP: Sudan political and economic crisis ‘at point of no return’

The fuel crisis is still raging across Sudan, despite the official comments that the crisis is about to come to an end, this along with sharp rise in commodity prices in the markets.

Khalid Omar, the deputy president of the Sudanese Congress Party (SCP), said that the political and economic crisis in the country has entered the stage of no return and that the only way out is for this regime to go.

He said in an interview with Radio Dabanga that the regime's response to this crisis was not political or economic in search of a real solution, but the regime chose the security response to show off its security forces and militias.

Omar described this political response as short-term with limited results that cannot persist because the regime is spending the few remaining resources to maintain itself rather than to resolve the crisis.

He explained that the political opposition to the regime exists, has already led demonstrations in the street, its leaders have been detained and is still on a daily basis working to generate the mass movement required to overthrow the regime so as to improve the quality of resistance

Broad National Front

Ali Mahmoud Hasanein, the head of the Broad National Front sent a recorded message to the Sudanese people urging them to protest against the current situation and fight injustice to change the regime.

He said that the current crisis of petroleum products has affected all of Sudan where the vehicles queue in lines in order to obtain fuel at a time when the treasury of the state has become empty of funds and lost the balance of hard currency as recognised by the officials themselves.

Hasanein explained in his message that the general situation and the stop of the wheel of life as a result of the lack of fuel seem like a political strike wondered why we should not embark on an all-out civil disobedience or popular uprising.

He added that the news of the arrival of commander of RSF, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan (aka Hemeti) in the capital is “a security fabrication to scare people.”

Government response

The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) said the fuel crisis would be over.

On Saturday the Assistant to the President of the Republic and deputy chairman of the National Congress Party for Party Affairs, Dr Feisal Hasan Ibrahim, ridiculed those counting on the fuel crisis to topple the regime.

He said that we promise those who dream that this crisis will be the end of the government with lengthy waiting.

He pointed to an agreement to supply Sudan with fuel for a full year without giving further details on the deal.

Engineer Munira Mahmoud, the director of the Khartoum Refinery Company announced the pumping of 1500 tons of petrol to the distribution companies on the first day of production and pointed that the daily production of diesel has reached 1400 tons since four days.

On Saturday she told reporters that the production of the refinery will rise to 2,200 tons of petrol and 2,300 tons of diesel as of Tuesday.

In April, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) prohibited the press in Sudan to publish any information related to the fuel crisis.

In a directive to the editors-in-chief of newspapers, the NISS instructed them not to cover the crisis, protests, and demonstrations but “to be satisfied with official statements issued by the government on these topics”.

Price hikes

The price of a barrel of water in the areas, the villages the northern countryside of Um Rawaba in North Kordofan has risen to SDG 100 (*$3.55).

Employees from Um Rawaba told Radio Dabanga that the diesel crisis which lasted for two months led to a rise in the price of a gallon to SDG 400 ($14.20).

 An employee said the northern countryside of Um Rawaba has been suffering from a water crisis for a long time because of the salty nature of its land.

He explained that the crisis has prompted the villagers to rely on tankers to fetch drinking water from faraway areas.

Miners in need

Independent MP El Tayeb Ahmed Ibrahim said that the information the dire conditions of the traditional miners in the mining areas in the northern state and the Red Sea State, North Kordofan and Darfur.

He said that the information on the conditions of the mineral miners in the mining areas in the northern state and the Red Sea state, North Kordofan and Darfur are indicating that their humanitarian situation is very poor because of the lack of water and food due to lack of fuel in those areas.

He said citizens were living in poor humanitarian conditions because of the lack of water and food and said their lives are at risk and mass death in the light of the country's fuel crisis.

The MP asked in his request to the Speaker of Parliament to summon the Minister of Interior to question him on this subject.

* Based on the indicative US Dollar rate quoted by the Central Bank of Sudan