Representatives of the Beja tribes blocked the Kassala airport and blocked the only oil pipeline through which fuel goes to Khartoum. They demand to change the agreement signed in Juba, believing that their interests were not taken into account
The Tribal Council of eastern Sudan announced the closure of the only oil pipeline connecting the capital Khartoum with the city of Haya, as well as the blocking of the Kassala airport. This is reported by Anadolu with reference to the Supreme Council of the Beja Tribes (the people inhabiting the north-eastern regions of Sudan and the western regions of Eritrea).
In addition, the protesters have been blocking the Khartoum-Port Sudan road for several days. “We have other escalation measures that include disconnecting the Internet and communication cables in [the state] The Red Sea, there are no initiatives to find a solution from the government yet, ” the head of the Supreme Council in the east of the country, Mohammed Oshik, told the agency. He added that the council’s supporters continue to block the road between the capital and Port Sudan and close ports in the Red Sea.
Tribal representatives are demanding changes to the peace agreement concluded in October last year. They believe that their interests were not taken into account. In October 2020, a peace agreement was ratified in the capital of South Sudan, Juba, between the Government of the Sudan and armed groups operating in the areas bordering South Sudan and in the provinces of Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan, consisting of sothe so-called revolutionary front. The document provides for the separation of power and natural resources with former militants, their inclusion in the national army and the governing bodies of federal and local authorities, as well as the return of refugees to their areas and the extension of the transition period for 39 months after the signing of the final peace treaty.
RBC has contacted the Russian Embassy in Sudan for comment.
On Thursday, September 23, supporters of the council made their way to the Port Sudan airport and interrupted the work of the air harbor. The next day, it was announced that flights would resume for 72 hours.
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Earlier this week, the military tried to carry out a coup in Sudan. Tanks appeared on the streets of Khartoum. The Al Arabiya TV channel claimed that more than 20 high-ranking officers led by Major General Abdel-Baki Bakrawi took control of the Sudanese army armored corps, after which they tried to seize the offices of several state media outlets, including Radio Omdurman. Later, all the participants of the coup attempt were arrested.
On the eve of September 24, it became known that the US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman will visit Sudan next week and discuss regional security issues. The White House “expressed the commitment of the Joe Biden administration to support a peaceful transition to democracy in Sudan and rejection of any attempts to interfere with the will of the Sudanese people”. The US President’s national Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, stressed that “any attempts by the military to undermine”…”The Constitution will have serious consequences for Sudan’s relations with the United States and the provision of future assistance.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the embassy in Khartoum is taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Russian citizens. “At the moment, the situation in the Sudanese capital remains calm,” she said.
According to her, Moscow calls on all political forces in Sudan “to resolve existing contradictions by peaceful means on the basis of a broad national dialogue and to abandon actions that could lead to an escalation of tension in Sudanese society”.
In April 2019, as a result of a coup in Sudan, President Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled the country since 1993, was removed from power and arrested. Power passed to the Military Council. In May of that year, the military and the opposition agreed to establish a transition period in the country for a period of three years. However, the opposition began a strike, calling for an earlyformation of the government. The unrest in the country continued. In January 2020, intelligence officers tried to seize power in the country. A month earlier, al-Bashir was sentenced to two years in a correctional institution for corruption and illegal possession of foreign currency. After the overthrow, suitcases with $130 million worth of currency were found at his home.
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