{"id":20097868,"date":"2024-08-23T14:36:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T12:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20097868"},"modified":"2024-08-23T16:03:33","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T14:03:33","slug":"sudans-suakin-sea-port-paralysed-by-workers-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/sudans-suakin-sea-port-paralysed-by-workers-strike","title":{"rendered":"Sudan\u2019s Suakin Sea Port \u2018paralysed by workers strike\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Small traders and workers at <\/strong>the <\/strong>Osman Digna Port in Suakin<\/strong> south of Port Sudan, the capital of Red Sea state,<\/strong> <\/strong>are blocking<\/strong> the <\/strong>harbour <\/strong>since Wednesday morning<\/strong>,<\/strong> in protest against <\/strong>the new conditions<\/strong> for <\/strong>the import of goods, imposed in the beginning of this month.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahmoud Ali, head of the Suakin Stevedoring Committee, told Radio Dabanga on Wednesday that \u201cthe closure paralysed the port completely, except for passengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe decided to close the port as a last resort after meeting with all the parties that issued the decision, including members of the Sovereignty Council, ministers, the Customs Administration and the Ministry of Trade,\u201d Ali stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of small traders and freight workers set up a huge tent in front of the port, blocking work. Their leaders are explaining the objectives of their action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A delegation of the protesters met with officials and handed them a memorandum rejecting the decision, but they did not receive a response to their demands to cancel the decision and allow small traders to continue their work without obligating them to follow complex banking procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Import form<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning of this month, the Sudanese Customs Administration announced a new decision prohibiting the clearance of any import transaction except through an electronic import form, with payments exclusively dealt with by the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Article 209 of the Customs Law was dropped, which now blocks the possibility of settling import transactions, and obligates all importers, including small traders, to follow the intricate banking procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new measure led to a general strike by customs officers<\/a> at the Sudanese-Egyptian border crossings on Saturday. A customs clearance officer at the border told Radio Dabanga that the electronic import form \u201cis now only issued for goods worth more than $5,000, which means that small traders are banned\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, the head of the Sovereignty Council, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, decided to transfer the supervision of the customs clearance from the Ministry of Trade to the council \u201cto facilitate procedures at the border crossings\u201d and \u201cto ensure the flow of commercial traffic by the speedy clearance of goods\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customs officers downplayed El Burhan\u2019s decision, saying that border crossing control falls under the jurisdiction of the customs authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018<\/strong>Tabali<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong> <\/strong>not allowed anymore<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new clearance form \u201cis only issued for goods worth more than $5,000, which means that small traders are banned,\u201d a customs officer at the Sudanese-Egyptian border told Radio Dabanga on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this trade is called ‘bag trade’ at the border with Egypt, petty trade goods imported over sea are known locally as \u2018tabali<\/em>\u2019 goods (a Sudanese tabliya<\/em> is a tray hung around the neck, used for displaying small items for sale). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ali said that \u2018tabali<\/em>\u2019 goods are now banned. \u201cThe import of merchandise with a value that does not exceed SAR10,000 [$2,663] and which includes limited quantities of food and other small items imported from Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, is now not possible anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another reason for the workers\u2019 refusal of the new measures is that the traders need to provide a bank account with the Central Bank of Sudan \u201cbut most of them do not have such a bank account or a commercial record,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Suakin Port is not commercial, like the outhern and northern ports of Port Sudan. The Suakin Customs Department used to settle the clearance of small quantities of goods through an inspection certificate, taking into consideration the situation of the people in the region, whose livelihoods depends entirely on tabali.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis kind of petty trade was included in the Eastern Sudan Track<\/a> protocol of the Juba Peace Agreement,\u201d he explained. \u201cTrade via small ships from Saudi Arabia was allowed within the framework of understanding the people\u2019s dire living conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n