US asks its citizens in Sudan to exercise caution at 2nd anniversary of September protests
September 13, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The US embassy in Khartoum issued a security bulletin asking American citizens to stay vigilant in the course of the second anniversary of the September 2013 protests which erupted in response to the government’s decision to lift fuel subsidies.
The embassy said that while it has no specific information on potential violence “demonstrations have the potential to escalate quickly”.
“You should avoid areas of demonstrations, and exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gathering locations or any place where large numbers of the community would ordinarily gather. As a precaution, the U.S. Embassy is postponing all non-essential mission travel outside Khartoum starting September 13th through the 16th” the embassy statement said.
The families of the victims occasionally go out on protests calling for holding killers accountable while authorities remain on the lookout for activists seeking to stage larger demonstrations.
In a separate issue, the speaker of the Sudanese Parliament Ibrahim Ahmed Omer who concluded his participation in the meetings of the 4th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament said that he saw no breakthrough in relations between Khartoum and Washington.
Washington routinely renews economic sanctions imposed on Sudan since 1997 as well as its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Omer pointed out at a press conference in Khartoum on Sunday that neither side succeeded in convincing the other of their viewpoint but noted that the US special envoy Donald Booth, who recently visited Khartoum, promised to work on several steps with his government to lift the ban on bank transfers.
He stressed that the US made no promises on lifting economic sanctions imposed on Sudan.
The speaker said he asked during a meeting with the Deputy Secretary of State for African Affairs not to judge Sudanese politics through some violations of state policy such as crackdown on freedom of expression by the security and intelligence apparatus or other state agencies.
Omer and expressed his personal dissatisfaction with the seizure of 14 daily newspapers by authorities describing it as a terrible act.
(ST)