Kassala market cart ban: 30 owners fined

More than 30 cart owners in New Halfa locality in Sudan’s Kassala were fined SDG500 ($75) each on Friday as police enforced a ban that came into effect a week ago.

Effective Sunday 15 October, carts are banned from entering the market in New Halfa locality. All carts that attempted to enter the market on Friday were seized until the owners paid the fines.

A cart owner told Radio Dabanga that the locality deployed police units at the entrances to the market. He complained that the government has not provided alternatives to animal-drawn carts and that it has not yet, as promised, assisted replace carts with rickshaws to be paid in instalments.

He said that the price of rickshaws has risen far beyond what residents can afford, so the decision to ban carts means that they are unable to transport goods and merchandise to and from the market.

Drinking water shortage

A number of Kassala districts have witnessed a severe drinking water shortage for several weeks. Residents predict that this will impact negatively when students and guest pour into the town for the inter-schools championships next month.

Ibrahim Nour told Radio Dabanga from Kassala that the districts of Murabaat, Khatmiya, parts of El Shaabiya, and Halanga are witnessing a continuous interruption of water services.

He criticised the state government that it is “more concerned with the inter-school competitions scheduled for November than with providing basic services”, and explained that it will be difficult to receive the students and guests participating in the inter-school competitions considering the water crisis in the city.