Thousands of Sudan’s NISS members start annual military parade

December 14, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Monday has begun its annual military parade from Al-Hamdab village in the locality of Al-Gitaina, White Nile state.

Earlier this year, lawmakers approved several constitutional amendments introduced by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) including one that allowed NISS to have an army of its own.

The move which drew fierce rebuke from opposition parties on the grounds that it undermines the role of the army and defeats the purpose of the agency which is tasked mainly with collecting intelligence and analyzing it.

The military parade, which is usually conducted to show ability to swiftly deal with rebel plots or potential popular protests, is being carried out with the participation of a considerable force of officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers from various NISS’s units.

NISS’s director of information department said the parade comes within the framework of assuring readiness of the troops, noting the commissioner of the locality of Jabal Awliya and commander of the military area have the attended the start of the parade.

He pointed that the parade is expected to arrive at the headquarters of the military operations in Khartoum on Wednesday morning, saying that NISS director, Lieut. Gen. Mohamed Atta would address the parade upon arrival.

It is noteworthy that the timing of the parade coincides with the government decision to lift subsidies on flour, wheat, electricity and fuel in the 2016 budget.

The curtailment of fuel subsidies in September 2013 triggered some of the worst protests Sudan has seen in years.

(ST)