Sudan’s SCoP vows to intensify struggle despite arrest of deputy chairman
November 5, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Chairman of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) Omer al-Diagir on Saturday said the arrest of his deputy wouldn’t deter them from communicating with the masses to achieve the desired change.
In statements to Sudan Tribune on Saturday, al-Digair underlined his party’s refusal for the recent austerity measures, describing it as a natural result for the regime’s arbitrary policies.
“These measures would only increase the burden on the Sudanese but won’t address the economic crisis,” he said.
On Thursday, Sudanese government lifted fuel subsidies and increased electricity price in a bid to stop the surge in inflation and control the fall of Sudanese pound in the black market.
Al-Digair pointed that the correct handling of the economic problem must begin by taking political moves including stopping the war, cutting spending on the flabby security, political and administrative organs and achieving stability necessary to cooperate with the international community and attract capital.
He stressed they would continue to communicate with the masses by all means, saying the detention of Youssef won’t prevent the SCoP from continuing its peaceful struggle to overcome the troubled reality and achieve the desired change.
The SCoP was established in January 1986. It was first chaired by the former chief-justice Abdel-Mageed Imam who was succeeded by Ibrahim al-Skeikh and has recently elected al-Digair as its third president.
The center-left reformist party calls for social justice and separation of religion and state. It also believes that peaceful transfer of power is the only way to stability and unity of the country.
In recent months, the SCoP has challenged the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and organized political activities in public and open places calling on the citizens to resist the regime and take to the streets in protest against the deterioration of living conditions at all levels.
Meanwhile, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW) led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nur, the SLM- Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) released separate statements denouncing the detention of the SCoP deputy chairman and all political activists.
In a press release extended to Sudan Tribune on Saturday, spokesperson for the office of the chairman of SLM-AW, Mohamed Abdel-Rahman al-Naier said the regime didn’t change its repressive policies despite the call for national dialogue and claims of allowing freedoms and releasing political detainees.
“What is done by the security apparatus of the regime, confirms beyond any doubt the regime lack of seriousness when it calls for dialogue, which means the freedom of expression,” said SLM-MM Spokesperson Mohamed Hassan Haron in a statement sent to Sudan tribune.
In a related development, the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) called on the Communists and Democrats and other national forces to protest, and to escalate of resistance against the regime in order to “sweep it into the dustbin of history”.
(ST)