By Meera Zoll
June 24/July 1, 2012 -- Green Left Weekly -- Sudan’s National Congress Party (NCP) regime is facing rising dissent
after a new round of youth protests began on June 16 against austerity
measures, spreading throughout the week to cities and towns across
Sudan.
Protesters and security forces have clashed daily as the government
of President Omer Al Bashir struggles to prevent a widespread uprising.
Sudan’s economy has been in a downward spiral since South Sudan’s
secession last July. Most of the two countries’ combined oil reserves
are located in the south, so Khartoum lost about 75% of its oil income
after the split. Inflation reached 30% in May and the cost of basic
necessities has rocketed, devastating the already impoverished
population.
In a June 12 meeting, the National Consensus Forces (NCF), which
comprises the major opposition parties including the Sudanese Communist
Party (SCP) and the National Umma Party, decided to initiate a mass
campaign to topple the regime in response to the planned removal of fuel
subsidies. It discussed an interim plan for a three-year transitional
period after the regime’s projected downfall.