Mo Ibrahim Foundation calls on Sudanese authorities to halt violence against protestors
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has issued a statement calling on the Sudanese authorities to halt the spread of violence in the country. The Foundation urged the government to uphold the right of the citizens to peacefully protest and express their legitimate grievances.
In the statement copied to ghanabusinessnews.com Thursday January 3, 2019, it said, “We emphasise the need for calm and call on the authorities to halt the spread of violence and prevent further instability within the country, and to ensure the people of Sudan are given a voice and space to exercise their democratic right to protest peacefully in a safe environment.”
Protests broke out over the price of bread in the last week of December 2018, and escalated as the number of protestors in the capital, Khartoum swelled. In response, the security services used live ammunitions, firing at protestors and killing some. Many others were arrested by police and detained. The authorities have also censored news about the protests.
The Foundation said it is following with increasing concern the political developments in the country, where peaceful protests by the Sudanese people have escalated into violence and a heavy security crackdown.
“This has so far resulted in several arrests of political opposition figures and the unfortunate loss of too many lives already. The Foundation also notes tight censorship around news on the protests in Sudan, with authorities restricting access to social media and the internet,” it said.
According to the statement, the wave of demonstrations which began on December 19, 2018, on the eve of the country’s 63rd anniversary of independence, and almost 30 years now after President Omar al-Bashir came to power through a military coup, has been triggered by people’s worsening daily living conditions, including fuel shortages, the increasing price of bread and currency devaluation.
The protestors have also been calling on al-Bashir to step down.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi
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