Juba, South Sudan,
June 14, 2021 – Sudanese streets in Khartoum have been marred by heavy demonstrations against the government’s decision to scrap subsidies on petrol and diesel prices.
Sudan’s economic growth has dropped significantly following the political developments and crisis the country has been going through since the fall of its longtime despot Omer al-Bashir.
The lifting of subsidies, which took effect Tuesday, saw the price of petrol shoot up from 150 Sudanese Pounds ($0.34 cents) to 290 Pounds per liter, while diesel went up from 125 to 285 pounds.
In a statement seen by Nyamilepedia, Sudanese Professional Associations (SPAs) said it is the latest in reforms by Sudan’s transitional government which vowed to fix the economy, which had been crippled by the US sanctions under Bashir.
“We call on protesters to take to the streets now and daily until these unjust decisions are overturned,” the Sudanese professionals association stated on their official Facebook page.
Responding to that call, small groups of protesters were seen putting barricades and burning tires on most of the main roads in Khartoum neighborhoods on Thursday.
One of the protesters who identified herself as Sofian Ibrahim said, the incumbent leaders should hand over power back to the people since they are lacking the capacity to manage the economic crisis in the country.
Another protester, Haroun Mohamed, said: “We are living a very bitter reality. The prices of everything on the market will now shoot up.”
Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim said scrapping subsidies on petrol and diesel, was part of policies aimed at “serving the interests of the Sudanese people and the Sudanese economy”.
“Even if people bring down this government, the next one will also have no option but to go on this track to fix the economy,” Ibrahim told reporters late Wednesday.
Sudan has been isolated internationally and sanctioned economically since 1993 because of hosting an indicted extremists by ICC. However, the sanctions were lifted by the administration of Donald J. Trump after the ouster of Bashir.
