Sudan security has arrested 306 political opponents over bread price protests: SCP spokesperson
January 22, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) said the government arrested some 306 opposition leading figures and members to stop the escalation of protests and popular mobilisation against the Sudanese regime.
Last week, the Communist and the National Umma Party (NUP) organised two protests against the hike of bread prices. The security services violently dispersed the peaceful protesters and arrested political leaders and militants even journalists who come to cover the events
Among the arrested opposition leaders, the Political Secretary of the Sudanese Communist Party Mohamed Mokhtar al-Khatib and two other influential members of the Central Committee, Siddiq Youssef and Siddiqi Kabalo.
Ali Saeed, the SCP spokesperson told Sudan Tribune on Monday that the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) have continued to arrest the party’s leading members.
“The security apparatus continue to arrest the party leaders. Even during the past two days, they arrested the party’s organizational secretary Mokhtar Abdallah and a member of the Political Bureau Hanadi Fadl,” Saeed said.
Besides the party leader al-Khatib and the two leading members, the arrests included members of the Central Committee and the Political Bureau: Mohi al-Din Aljallad, Hashim Mirghani, Kamal Karrar, Harith al-Tom and Amal Jabrallah.
The arrests were intended to “paralyze the movement of the masses and to repress them”, wondering “Why do the authorities arrest citizens who have not violated any law? … This is unfair,” Saeed added.
He pointed out that the arrest of activists during the recent protests is against the law and the Constitution, as they ignore the whereabouts of the detainees their conditions.
“Attempts to liquid the party through the arrests are futile,” he said. “Our party had already been banned and it did not work either,” he said
He further disclosed that the number of arrested political opponents has reached 306 detainees.
from the other political parties, the NISS arrested NUP Secretary General Sara Nugdalla and the NUP deputy chairman Mohamed Aldoma and other leading members including Ibrahim Alamin and Errwa al-Sadiq.
Among the detainees also the head of the Islamic Center Party, Youssef al-Kouda, arrested on January 16. and the leader of Sudanese Congress Party Omar al-Daqir who was arrested immediately on January 7, a day after the announcement of the increase of bread price.
(ST)