Sudan: the government bypasses the blockade of Port-Sudan to supply the country

Trucks remain stuck in front of the closed gates of a Port-Sudan terminal on October 7, 2021. AFP - ASHRAF SHAZLY

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For more than a month, hundreds of demonstrators from the Beja tribe have continued to block the roads and import-export terminals in Port Sudan.

Led by tribal chief Mohammed el-Amin Tirik, the protesters demand the resignation of the government and the renegotiation of the Juba peace accords which they deem unfavorable.

In the capital, many bakeries have closed for lack of flour.

Due to the lack of bread, schools close earlier, sending students home so that they can have lunch.

The government, for its part, is looking for roundabout means to alleviate the shortages. 

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With our correspondent in Khartoum,

Eliott Brachet

The crisis continues in eastern Sudan

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Port Sudan is the gateway to the country.

85% of Sudanese imports pass through its port facilities.

And if you block the lungs of the economy, it's suffocation.

With the exception of oil from South Sudan and some drug shipments, everything is currently on hold.

The containers are piling up and after four weeks of blockage, shortages of oil, sugar, diesel or wheat are already being felt.

To listen:

Sudan: the crisis in the East causes a shortage of bread in Khartoum

Faced with the emergency, the government is trying to find alternatives.

Importers, whose cargo ships floated in the middle of the Red Sea, without a solution, ended up heading for the ports of neighboring countries.

In Egypt, the port of Ain Sokhna has seen its freight traffic increase by more than 150% since the start of the week. 

By bypassing the blockage at least for wheat and sugar, the Sudanese government hopes to lighten the burden of the crisis a little.

Some sources estimate that the losses amount to more than $ 65 million a day for an already bloodless economy.

Inflation had fallen for two months, but the current crisis is likely to have disastrous consequences. 

Blockages instrumentalised by the military?

For the moment, no agreement has been reached with the protesters of the Beja tribe, who are now demanding the right to self-determination.

Their leader, Mohammed al-Tirik, was sarcastic this Saturday, October 16.

He praised the government for getting around the blockade, and said the time had come to grant autonomy to eastern Sudan.

For many pro-government activists, the blockades in the East are instrumentalised by the military in power who allow the situation to deteriorate.

The generals are reportedly trying to blame the civilian government amid heightened tensions between partners in the Sudanese transition, put in place after the fall of Omar al-Bashir, three weeks after a foiled coup attempt. 

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  • Sudan