Kassala authorities summon union leader over upcoming teachers’ strike
June 2, Kassala — Security agencies in Kassala State on Tuesday summoned the head of the local Sudanese Teachers’ Committee, Sayed Timba, for interrogation regarding an upcoming statewide strike.
The move comes just one day after security and education authorities in the East Nile locality of Khartoum State summoned several educators and dismissed multiple school principals for participating in an identical strike over low wages and deteriorating living conditions.
Sami Al-Baqir, the official spokesperson for the Sudanese Teachers’ Committee, told Sudan Tribune that security forces in Kassala detained Timba and interrogated him for several hours. The interrogation followed Timba’s announcement that state educators would launch a comprehensive strike on June 7 to protest low salaries and unpaid financial arrears.
Al-Baqir strongly criticized the security apparatus for targeting educators, declaring that teachers will not be silenced by intimidation when demanding their legitimate rights.
Teachers across Sudan have increasingly spoken out against the severe erosion of their monthly salaries, which have lost most of their purchasing power due to the continuous devaluation of the local currency.
In a formal statement, the Sudanese Teachers’ Committee noted that the summons of Timba coincides with a broader, rights-based mobilization led by educators nationwide. The movement demands immediate wage restructuring, the payout of long-overdue financial entitlements, and the provision of an adequate working environment for employees in the education sector.
The committee emphasized that teachers are continuing to voice their demands through peaceful means, despite facing catastrophic economic and living conditions that directly impact their survival.
Reiterating its commitment to lawful and peaceful advocacy, the committee firmly rejected any measures intended to restrict union activities or target activists fighting for educational labor rights.