Beja leaders demand investigation into Port Sudan deaths

KHARTOUM, Feb 3 (AFP) — Leaders of the Beja community of eastern Sudan on Thursday demanded that the government investigate the deaths of civilians at the hands of police during last week’s riots in Port Sudan.

The demand followed two days of talks between Beja tribal leaders and government officials, which focused on Friday’s unrest in the city.

A memorandum handed to local officials urged the government to investigate the riots and its use of force to quell them, Mohammed Mohammed al-Amin Tirik, chief of a main Beja tribe, told AFP by telephone from Port Sudan.

“We also demanded that the government take care of the families of the martyrs and the injured, and offer them medical treatment,” Tirik said.

At least 14 people — and possibly as many as 23 — were killed in clashes between supporters of the rebel Beja Congress and security forces in Port Sudan, on the Red Sea.

The protests, calling for more power and resources for the region, sparked a security clampdown across eastern Sudan, with Beja activists reportedly arrested in the towns of Kassala and Jebeit, the Beja Congress said.

Tirik reiterated complaints that basic services were almost “non-existent” in much of eastern Sudan, and the Beja people wanted their fair share of power and resources.

“Those are the demands that all of us, both armed
and unarmed, are calling for. We are in agreement (with the Beja Congress) on the goals, but may disagree on the means,” Tirik said.

The Beja Congress claims to be the sole representative of eastern Sudan.

It withdrew from the opposition umbrella National Democratic Alliance, amid charges that its demands were not being taken into account in negotiations with Khartoum.

The Cairo-based NDA and the government have since forged a preliminary agreement and are expected to sign a final deal on February 12, following the January peace accord between Khartoum and southern rebels.