Sudan’s ruling party calls on its members to abort civil disobedience call
December 10, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday has held an expanded meeting to brief the heads of its chapters in Khartoum on the challenges facing the country and ways to confront the civil disobedience action that will take place on 19 December.
Last month, the government decision to scrap fuel, electricity and drug subsidy stirred up large protests across the Sudan.
Following a three-day protest against the austerity measures between 27 to 29 November, groups of activists has called on the Sudanese people to engage in a civil disobedience on December 19th.
Several opposition forces and armed groups including the Sudanese Congress Party, Democratic Unionist Party, Sudanese Communist Party, National Umma Party, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/North and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minnawi expressed support for the upcoming event and called upon their affiliates to play an active role in the strike.
In his address before the meeting of the party chapters in Khartoum on Saturday, NCP deputy chairman and presidential aide Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid said “Sudan is facing an unfair campaign that aims to exploit its resources and wealth”.
He pointed that the country is being targeted internally and externally, saying they would go ahead with the implementation of the national dialogue’s outcome.
Hamid renewed the call for the holdout opposition to join the dialogue, expressing his party’s support for the upcoming government of national concord.
The presidential assistant demanded his party members to face the challenges and ignore calls by the “rumors mongers” for civil disobedience, saying they only exist on the “virtual world”.
He added that the austerity measures aim to restructure the economy, saying 1.3 million family would be added to the government health insurance programme.
For his part, deputy chairman of the NCP in Khartoum, Mohamed Hatim Sulieman said they would implement a 100-day programme to ease the burdens of living.
TV ANCHOR SUSPENDED
Meanwhile, the pro-government Ashorooq TV has suspended one of its anchors for participating in last month’s civil disobedience action.
On a Facebook post on Wednesday, Arwa Khogali, anchor at Ashorooq TV said she would not appear on her programme on Friday due to an administrative decision by the station.
Sudan Tribune learnt that Khogali, didn’t appear on the weekly “Culture Week” show because of her participation in the civil disobedience.
(ST)