Update on the Situation in Khartoum

A close friend of mine recently got back from Sudan. He brought back some interesting information from his uncle whom we shall call uncle K. Uncle K used to be a member in the ruling NCP and he’s a highly educated man. He quit the NCP (formerly known as National Islamic Front or NIF) after getting too disgusted by it but he’s still in contact with some members in it. I greatly value uncle K’s opinions and thoughts. The man’s information is valuable and not easily obtainable elsewhere. Most Sudanese people are busy “writing scripts for the latest conspiracy theory” but few actually know what the hell is going on and I happen to personally know some of those few. The information in this post isn’t officially available in Sudanese newspapers although some like Al-Rayyam have made vague speculations hinting the same thing. I can’t say it’s 100% absolutely true but I personally strongly believe it.

As you already know, Khartoum recently witnessed peaceful protests against price increases in which the protestors were brutally beaten up. The NCP raised the prices of fuel and basic commodities to cover their increasing expenses. Apparently they miscalculated their annual budget. One of the major oil wells was supposed to start production soon but some mistake occurred and caused serious delays. Hence, the annual budget estimations got screwed. The increasing expenses are mainly due to security being on stand by 24/7 and also due to the latest military operations in Darfur.

It also turns out that the beheading of Mohamed Taha was carried out by the ruling NCP. Well, okay it wasn’t literally carried out by the NCP. The NCP set the stage and the factors for it to happen. They prepared the environment for the Sudanese Islamists so that there could only be one outcome at the end. Frankly I’m not surprised and neither is uncle K by the way. I just discovered he actually knew Mohamed Taha personally. He’s rather affected by his gruesome murder.

The ruling NCP was and still is facing great pressure both internally and externally. Mohamed Taha was constantly banging the ruling NCP in his newspaper. Moreover he encouraged other journalists to exercise their freedom of speech. The NCP wasn’t happy and they were getting increasingly desperate to control the riots. Striking fear into the hearts of the public was the key to controlling them. What better way to do it than to behead someone in the opposition and create an environment of fear. The beheading of Mohamed Taha had a big impact on the Sudanese people especially ones living in Khartoum. It shook them greatly and struck fear into their hearts. At the same time the issue of UN troops is causing serious “cracks”.

Meanwhile the NCP says it is continuing its “great” investigation into Mohamed Taha’s murder. Do you know why I say “great” investigation? Well, the NCP said it’s not ruling out the possibility that the murder was orchestrated by Western intelligence. LOL.