Atbara — Members of the Taharga alliance in River Nile state barricaded the Khartoum‑Atbara‑Port Sudan highway on Tuesday. Activists told Radio Dabanga that the alliance wants “to restore the rights of the Nile River.” Early that morning they set up a tent near Atbara and closed the highway linking Khartoum with Port Sudan, causing “great chaos” on the road. Ambulances were permitted to pass, the activists reported.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Taharga alliance said the closure was a protest against the central authorities’ disregard for the state’s demands to secure its resources. The statement also condemned the Framework Agreement signed by the military junta, a number of opposition parties and other political groups in Khartoum on 5 December last year. The alliance argued that the agreement “disregards the people of the Nile River” and that the political process is being managed by a small group of opposition parties “unfamiliar with the details and issues of the Sudanese states.”
Taharga youth member Omar Abdelrahim explained that the alliance is a civil body, not a political one, focused on demands for better education, health services and improved infrastructure in the region. He added that the group also calls for a halt to mining activities in the areas of Berber and El Bawga, which are harming the health of local residents.
Members of the resistance committees of the Revolutionary Council protested the road closure and clashed with Taharga activists on Wednesday. Police intervened to contain the violence, and a member of the resistance committees was injured.
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