Sudan seizes six daily newspapers, arrests opposition leaders

CAIRO – 8 January 2018: Protests have expanded to several provinces in Sudan, while Sudanese security forces have continued arresting politicians and media figures, following the confiscation of six daily newspapers and the banning of their publication without stating clear reasons, according to Pan-Arab Asharq Awsaat newspaper.

A few days ago, Sudanese people took to streets of the capital city of Khartoum protesting against doubling bread prices due to the governmental decision to ban private companies importing wheat.

One Sudanese student was reportedly killed in Geneina during clashes between protesters and security forces on Sunday, according to Reuters.

Dozens of Sudanese people gathered outside bakery shops in Khartoum to express their anger at the high price of the bread, which is an essential part of the standard Sudanese diet.

According to news reports, the local authority in western Darfur suspended schools because of the recent protests.

The opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) revealed that their Chairperson Omar al-Digair was arrested by the security forces on Sunday. "Police detained Omar al-Digair, former chairman of the party Ibrahim al-Shaikh and the human rights secretary Jalal Mustafa," according to the SCoP statement.

The statement denounced the Sudanese security oppression measures against opposition figures and the suppression of freedom of expression after the confiscation of six news publications.

The confiscated newspapers include Al-Tayyar, Al-Mustaqilla, Al-Saiha, Al-Qarar, Akhbar Al-Watan and Al-Midan.

Sudanese opposition figure, Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani, who leads the Reform Now Movement, criticized what he described as a "security campaign against freedoms of press and politics," and stressed in a statement that "Seizure of newspapers is an attempt to cover an economic catastrophe which the country has been suffering from recently due to irresponsible policies followed by the government."

Different Sudanese provinces have witnessed limited protests due to the unprecedented high price of bread; the price of a loaf of bread is now one Sudanese pound, it was for only 50 cents a week ago.

In 2011, South Sudan’s secession from the North weakened their economy as 75 percent of Sudan’s oil production was based in the south. Moreover, Sudan has been suffering since sanctions were first imposed against them in 1997 after the U.S.

classified Sudan a state sponsor of terrorism for allowing Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden to live in Khartoum. Further sanctions were added in reaction to allegations of human rights abuses carried out by government forces against ethnic minority rebels in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region. However, in October 2016, the U.S. eased the sanctions but kept the country on a list of state sponsors of terrorism.