Protesters hoping Arab Spring will face hot summer in Sudan – Bashir
June 11, 2012 (KHARTOUM) — President Omer Hassan al-Bashir said opponents who call to overthrow his regime will face a hot summer instead of an Arab spring they call for. He also directed to stop business with companies from countries enforcing economic sanctions against Sudan.
Students and activists demonstrate since one month in small and widespread groups in the Sudanese capital and different parts of the country calling for regime change after the lift of oil subsidies on 16 June.
The protests continue in the country, despite the arrest of around two thousands demonstrators. In order to mobilise more and more protesters, the activists organise peaceful demonstrations after the Friday prayer.
Speaking about the dissent, Bashir threatened those “who wait for foreign support” to change the regime saying “those who expect an Arab Spring will not see it because Sudan has a hot summer that will burn its enemies and grill them.”
He further warned the large crowd that those who want to topple the regime, actually seek to return the country to what it was before twenty-three years when he took the power through a coup d’état.
“But the people have proven their consciousness and they know that their interest is in the survival of the Ingaz’s government,” he added.
Amnesty International and Human Rights watch called on Khartoum government to stop torture and ill-treatment of those arrested since last month. They say that former detainees reported beatings, verbal insults, food, water and sleep-deprivation.
The two rights groups further “urged the immediate and unconditional release of anyone arrested for participating in peaceful protests”.
Bashir, on the other hand, told the crowd that he directed to stop doing business with “companies from nations hostile to Sudan”. He added that Sudan has friends who can help and share mutual interests.
“our directives that no contract with companies of states boycotting Sudan because they seek to undermine our economy”. He went further wondering ” why we allow countries boycotting us to make benefits?”
Last April, the government was forced to postpone the opening of the biggest sugar factory in the country because a US firm refused to provide a software operating system due to the economic sanctions.
Sudan has been under American economic sanctions since 1997, and remains on the US list of state sponsors of terror. At the time, Khartoum harboured Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
After 2003 sanctions were tightened over the conflict in the Darfur region and human rights violations.
The White Nile Sugar factory is reported to have the capability of producing up to 450,000 tonnes of sugar annually within the next three years and 60 million litres (13 million gallons) of ethanol.
(ST)