State of Emergency declared in Port Sudan

The Sovereign Council decided on Sunday to dismiss the governor and the head of the security service of Red Sea state and to declare a State of Emergency in Port Sudan, as part of a series of measures to contain the tribal clashes that erupted in the city on Wednesday, in which one person was killed and dozens of others injured.

Fighting between Beni Amer tribesman and displaced Nuba from South Kordofan broke out again in the Red Sea state capital on Friday. Dozens of people were injured and a number of houses went up in flames, journalist Amin Sinada reported to Radio Dabanga.

The warring parties signed a truce on Saturday evening, when the number of victims of tribal clashes in the city had risen to more than 26 dead and about 200 injured, and dozens of houses burned.

The truce, which was signed in the presence of the governor and a delegation of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), provides for the intervention of regular forces and the obligation of the conflicting parties to pay a fine of SDG 6 million to the authorities in case of a breach of the agreement. Witnesses reported the burning of a limited number of houses on Sunday morning, after the signing of the agreement.

Wajdi Salih, a leading member of the FFC, praised the two sides for reaching an agreement to stop hostilities, expressing concern for the events witnessed in the city and explaining that the next stage needs more understanding from both sides.

The acting governor of the Red Sea state denied issuing orders to open fire on citizens. He stressed that the duty of the armed forces is to protect citizens and that the armed forces are not hostile to either party.

On Sunday, vigils were held at the southern port and the central market in Port Sudan to demand an immediate end to the tribal clashes. Khartoum and Kassala witnessed a number of vigils calling for urgent intervention by the federal authorities on Saturday.

Rule of Law

In Khartoum, members of the Sudanese Professionals Association, the Nuba Mountains Civil Alliance, and eastern Sudanese activists discussed the situation. In a joined statement on Sunday, they called on the warring parties to immediately stop hostilities and to create a climate for comprehensive and satisfactory solutions for all parties.

The statement called on regular forces to play their national and professional role and restore order and the Rule of Law.

It further appealed to civil society organisations, political parties and the district resistance committees in various parts of Sudan to prevent sedition and uphold the concepts of peace and community coexistence.

The civil society activists warned that the events in Port Sudan could undermine the democratic process, raise the cost of peace and destabilise civilian rule.

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