Sudan security blocks International Women’s Day celebrations

March 8, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese security authorities have prevented several civil society organisations from celebrating the International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March.

The executive director of the Sudanese al-Marsad (observatory) human rights organization, al-Barraq al-Nazeer said that security authorities ordered the administration of the Nubian Club where the celebration took place to stop it under the pretext that organizers did not obtain the necessary permission from the concerned bodies.

But al-Nazeer affirmed that the organizers obtained permission for the celebration, stressing the incident reflects internal divisions among centers of power within the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

He argued that there are two factions within the NCP, one of them supports dialogue, soft change, and openness towards other political parties while the other is making every possible effort to obstruct dialogue and widens gap of mistrust.

(ST)