Troika support central government to defuse tension in Eastern Sudan
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - A group of Western government on Friday said Friday they supported Khartoum government efforts aimed at lifting a blockade imposed on the Eastern region’s sea port by a paramount tribal leader in eastern Sudan pressing for development.
“The Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States) strongly supports the efforts of Sudan’s government to resolve protests in eastern Sudan which, as the government’s October 3 statement highlighted, risk having a serious impact on the country’s economy and the well-being of its citizens,” a press release issued by the US state Department said.
Mohamed Amin Tirik, the paramount chief of the Beja ethnic groups, was protesting that his region’s grievances were not considered in an agreement the government signed a year ago in Juba, south Sudan.
He said the chapter dealing with eastern Sudan and the persons who signed it should be nullified and reconsidered.
Arguing that the government turned a blind eye to his people's demand, Tirik ordered his people to block all roads leading go sea port and obstructed the movement of goods and services to the only sea port in Eastern Sudan.
It affected even relief being transported to the region of Tigray in Ethiopia.
The statement said the Troika joined with the civilian-led transitional government in calling for an end to the ongoing blockades of port and transportation infrastructure in eastern Sudan.
Political leaders in eastern Sudan should take up their government’s offer to address their grievances through meaningful political dialogue rather than engaging an action that serves only to harm the nation’s economy.
“We encourage everyone in the Sudanese government to intensify their efforts to resolve these protests,” the statement said, adding that the Troika fully recognized the development challenges facing the people of eastern Sudan.
It added that the three western states were prepared to continue to work in partnership with Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government to address such challenges.
“While recognizing that this is an internal issue, the Troika urges the international community to support fully the efforts of the Sudanese government to resolve this matter and to end the ongoing blockades,” it concluded.
Last week, the government in Khartoum said if this blockade continued the whole country would suffocate and that people all over the country would be hit by medicinal, food, fuel and supply shortages.
It said it understood and worked to resolve the underdevelopment problems facing the region but mildly reminded the people that blockade was not one of the democratic ways of expressions.
-0-PANA MO/RA 8Oct2021
