‘Civil disobedience action great success’: Sudanese Congress Party

The three-day civil strike was 100 per cent successful, thanks to the social media, says the Sudanese Congress Party. Dr Ghazi Atabani, Chairman of the Reform Now Movement, also lauded the response to the civil disobedience calls. 

Abdelmonim Omar, Acting President of the Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) told Radio Dabanga on Wednesday that the party did not expect the civil disobedience action of this week to be that successful.

He emphasised that the protest action succeeded because of the Sudanese youth’s use of social media. “The youth allied under the slogan Khalas [Deliverance] managed to attract a large response among the citizens in Khartoum.

“The success will motivate the people to participate in further steps against this tyrannical regime that has ruined the country.”

Last week, a youth group allied under the slogan Khalas [Deliverance] called via social media on the Sudanese to join a three-day civil disobedience action against the austerity measures taken by the government last month. The liberalisation of fuel and electricity tariffs and hard currency rates for a number of import goods caused huge price hikes in the country that has been plagued already by continuing high inflation during the last couple of years.

Security officers detained at least 23 SCP leaders and members, including the chairman and his deputy, to prevent them from publicly protesting against the austerity measures last month. On Monday, Amnesty International-USA released a call for urgent action regarding their incommunicado detention.

The SCP is one of the most active opposition parties in Sudan since its members began their public campaign against the government’s oppressive policies in several Sudanese towns last year.

'First time'

Dr Ghazi Atabani, Chairman of the Reform Now Movement, founded by a number of dissidents of the ruling National Congress Party in December 2013, also lauded the response to the civil disobedience calls.

“For the first time, a number of people positively reacted to calls by the opposition. And what succeeds for the first time, will bring about even better results the second and the third time.

“The situation in the country would have been much better if the government would have listened to the voice of reason and allowed its policies and attitudes to be reviewed, instead of underestimating and ridiculing any opposing person.

“The government’s future is now put to the test. It will have to base its options on the broad rejection of the people of its devastating policies,” he noted.