Sudan’s anti-war demo flops
September 9, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese opposition parties have failed to hold their planned protest on Friday against the war in the country’s flashpoints of South Kordofan and Blue Nile after the authorities refused to allow the action.
The National Consensus Forces (NCF), an umbrella of mainstream opposition parties in Sudan, last week called for the anti-war demonstration and asked supporters to march in protest following Friday’s prayer to the presidential palace in Khartoum and hand a memorandum dubbed “the declaration of Sudan.”
However, the opposition was forced to call off the protest after police authorities refused to give it permission on the pretext that the security situation in the country does not allow for such action.
Some opposition parties, Sudan Tribune has learned, intend to renew calls for the protest but police authorities vowed to crack down on any “unlawful gathering.”
Sudan’s opposition parties accuse the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) of a long list of failures, including the breakup of the country and its economic malaises.
The country has so far escaped the “Arab spring” which saw repressive regimes in neighboring Egypt, Libya and Tunisia tumble down under the weight of popular revolts.
Sudan’s presidential adviser and NCP’s vice-president, Nafe Ali Nafe, on Thursday called on the Sudanese citizens not to join the opposition on Friday.
“Those who go to Friday prayer will not take to the streets with Juba’s Alliance,” he told reporters in Khartoum, in reference to the fact that the NCF was initiated in the capital of what is now the Republic of South Sudan which seceded from Sudan in July this year.
The hard-line NCP figure said that the entire Sudanese nation backs the country’s army in its war against the rebellion of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North’s [SPLM] forces in Blue Nile and South Kordofan.
War erupted between Sudan’s army (SAF) and SPLM-N forces since early July in South Kordofan and three months later in the Blue Nile, two states bordering South Sudan and with a history of armed struggle alongside the former rebels-turned-ruler SPLM in Juba against the government in Khartoum.
Over 160,000 people were forced to flee their homes in the South Kordofan but the government refuses to allow international aid groups to provide humanitarian assistance or to open camps. In the Blue Nile no estimations have yet been done.
According to Nafi, what is happening in the two states was a rebellion against the state and that the Sudanese armed forces were doing their job, adding that there is no option but to “crush” the rebellion and end the existence of any army other than SAF.
(ST)
Lang
Sudan’s anti-war demo flops
These people are real cowards.
Only Sudanese who believe they are African will ever fight for change the rest are cowards who like to talk.
Lang
Sudan’s anti-war demo flops
They cannot even go out with a sign they are real coward.
mohammed ali
Sudan’s anti-war demo flops
Lang,
They are more Africans and more courageous than you.
They simply donnot want what you want! They donnot want Agar, Arman or Al Hlou or any SPLA affliate.
They want NCP and they want Basheer. You may go on believeing in what Arman claims , but facts remain facts!
It is far better for you to concentrate on your own problem which are huge than trying “childly” to intervene in our internal affairs!
Lang
Sudan’s anti-war demo flops
You people don’t even know what you want. Even if it was not splm-n calling for a revolution you people would still not want to agree with someone who say they want a revolution.
You are just cowards who like to talk and will never do take any action to change anything in your country.
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Sudan’s anti-war demo flops
Surely,the demonstration was headed by women which is very rare for the women to be ring leaders.Why are the demonstrators all women? It seems men are cowardic to demonstrate for their political right.