Sudanese police seize premises of banned professional groups
December 17, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese police forces Tuesday seized the premises of several professional federations linked to the former regime.
The seizure, which hit lawyers, engineers, teachers, and worker trade unions, was enforced in line with a law recently adopted by the transitional authority providing to ban and dismantle institutions linked to the former regime.
On Tuesday morning, police forces prevented employees and workers of these federations from entering their offices, eyewitnesses told Sudan Tribune.
A member of the General Union of Sudanese Journalists, Abdel-Majid Abdel-Hamid who is known as a virulent defender of the former regime, told the Sudan Tribune that a police force had arrived at the headquarters of the Sudanese Journalists Union, and notified the seizure of the building by telephone to the Union’s Secretary-General Salah Omer al-Sheikh.
He considered the move “illegal”, and warned that the union would escalate the issue, and mobilize the support of regional and international press groups.
On Monday, the Central Bank of Sudan decided to freeze the assets of professional groups run by the supporters of the former regime.
The head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan last Tuesday issued a decision to form a committee chaired by Yasir al-Atta a member of the Sovereign Council to end the grip of the ousted regime.
The Secretary of Labor Relations of the banned Sudanese Workers’ Union Khairi al-Nur told Sudan Tribune that the union rejected the seizure of funds and assets saying that any administrative interference in the work of the unions harms their activities.
He described the decision as flawed and unlawful, as he said.
He added that international agreements ratified by Sudan stipulate that there should be no governmental interference in the work of the unions.
Following the 1989 coup, the former regime had banned the democratically elected trade unions and professional federations and arrested its leaders.
(ST)