Sudanese protesters shut pipeline transporting oil to Khartoum

KHARTOUM, Sudan

A tribal council in eastern Sudan on Saturday announced the closure of the only oil pipeline that transports fuel to the capital, Khartoum, amid protests against last year’s peace deal with rebel groups.

"As part of our escalation plan, we closed the (only) oil pipeline that transports petrol and gasoline to the capital, Khartoum, at the Haya station in the Red Sea state," Mohamed Oshik, the head of the High Council of Beja Nazirs, told Anadolu Agency.

The move came amid protests against a 2020 peace deal between the government and rebel groups, which the Beja tribes in eastern Sudan say it marginalizes them.

"We have [plans for] other escalatory steps that include [cutting off] internet and communications cables in the Red Sea as long as there are no initiatives for a solution by the government," Oshik said.

In the past days, the council closed the Port Sudan Airport, all ports on the Red Sea, and the main road between Khartoum and Port Sudan city in protest of the peace deal.

The council complains about the marginalization of the eastern regions, demands the cancellation of the peace deal and the establishment of a national conference for approving development projects in the eastern regions.

Since Aug. 21, 2019, Sudan has been going through a 53-month transitional period that will end with elections in early 2024.

Power is currently shared by the army, the Forces of Freedom and Change alliance, and armed movements that signed a peace agreement with Khartoum on Oct. 3, 2020.

On Tuesday, Sudanese authorities thwarted a coup attempt by a group of military officers.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar