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September 22, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) has detained several political activists and warned families of the victims against holding ceremonies to commemorate the first anniversary of the September protests.

People look at burning cars during protests over fuel subsidy cuts in Khartoum September 25, 2013. (Reuters)

Demonstrations broke out in several Sudanese states in September 2013 following the government’s decision to lift fuel subsidies. Rights groups said that at least 200 people were killed but the government put the death toll at 85.

The United States embassy in Khartoum on Thursday issued a security bulletin asking its citizens to exercise caution in light of anti-government demonstrations that could erupt on Saturday.

The 2nd Vice President Hassabo Abdelrahman claimed on Monday night that a group under the name “Regime Change Front” is active in the capital but that security is aware of them.

He stressed that that there are certain circles that do not want peace and want to place obstacles in front of dialogue process.

The spokesperson for the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP), Bakri Youssef, told Sudan Tribune that NISS detained the general coordinator of the Sudanese Human Rights Network (SHRN) and SCoP chairman in Jebel al-Awliya area, 45 km south of the capital Khartoum, Azhari al-Hag, on Sunday and released him after several hours.

He also claimed the arrest of SCoP member of the executive committee in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman, Khaled Saad, from his home in al-Fitaihab neighborhood on Saturday, saying he was released on Sunday.

Youssef further pointed to the continued detention of the SCoP Secretary General in Fouga area in West Kordofan state, Ibrahim Ahmed Salim, since last July.

Reliable sources also emphasized arrest of several activists in Omdurman including Mohamed Abdel-Moniem, Igbal Abdallah, Khaled Al-Toum and Amgad Omarain.

The SCoP spokesperson underscored that families of the September protests victims plan to hold a commemoration ceremony, adding that the committee of solidarity with the victims and detainees of the protests also plan to organize a similar event.

He noted that NISS seeks to separate the two events in order to abort any attempt that could prompt popular protests in the first anniversary of the September demonstrations, saying that preventive detentions and summonses were aimed at limiting the movement of the activists.

Expectations have grown since the beginning of this month to commemorate protests against government’s decision to lift fuel subsidies which erupted in the Gezira state capital of Wad Medani on September 23rd 2013 and quickly spread to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum and other states leading to the death of dozens of people.

Calls for demonstrations in the first anniversary of September protests have circulated in social media websites such as Facebook and Whatsapp but there appears to be no momentum on the street that could trigger widespread protests.

The chairman of the committee of solidarity with the victims and detainees of the protests, Sideeg Youssef, told Radio Dabanga that NISS is trying to prevent the families of victims from participating in the commemoration to be held the last week of September.

“We received complaints from several families [of victims] that they were threatened by security officers, who told them that the commemoration ceremony is a political action organized by the opposition parties.” he said.
(ST)