SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga -Violence and chaos in eastern Sudan’s Kassala

28/7/2020: Radio Dabanga -Violence and chaos in eastern Sudan’s Kassala

 Radio Dabanga report that Kassala town and surroundings witnessed widespread violence, following protests against Kassala’s newly appointed civilian governor Saleh Ammar, a member of the Beni Amer tribe with a military background.

 Four were killed in the clashes in fighting that coincided with a march organised by opponents of the new governor - thousands of Beja tribesmen, headed by Hadendawa Nazir Sayed Tirik, and Beni Amer tribesmen who marched to call for Ammar to arrive from Khartoum and assume his duties. Despite a police curfew, Beni Amer marched again and a man was killed in renewed clashes.

 Beja tribal leaders also demands Ammar’s replacement, although the Kassala Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) welcomes him. Protests also erupted against Ammar in Sinkat in Red Sea state.

 Activists hold the Kassala security committee responsible for the violence, and have expressed their astonishment about allowing protest marches despite the curfew.