The Chamber of Commerce (CoC) in Delling, South Kordofan, announced the completion of their first successful day of market closure yesterday, in protest of the excessive taxation levied at market vendors nationwide.
Traders and merchants in El Gedaref and White Nile state went on strike again yesterday to protest a tenfold tax increase. Strikes have been announced in South Kordofan and El Gezira too. They coincide with the launch of the tax appeals committees' work.
Sudan's economic and political crisis has led to much unrest and many strikes and protests but it is also having another, very problematic effect: increased crime and insecurity. Kidnappings, looting, and theft are becoming increasingly common in Khartoum and some seem to believe that the authorities deliberately allow and even encourage the chaos to distract from their failed policies and intimidate revolutionaries.
The wave of strikes in Sudan continues in full force. Traders and Merchants went on strike in several states to protest exorbitant tax increases, a new strategy of the government to fill the national treasury. Other workers went on strike to demand fair salaries and unpaid financial dues amidst the economic crisis.
In an interview with Radio Dabanga, economic expert Sidgi Kaballo described Sudan's inflation figures as “disturbing” and warned of a 'revolution of the hungry' if the root causes of the economic problems are not addressed. He warned of the deployment of more police and security forces to contain the situation and said that, instead, a comprehensive economic plan should be agreed on and the putschists should be overthrown.