A tribal group announced on Monday it would temporarily lift a six-week blockade on Sudan’s main port, a week after the military took power in a coup.
Opponents of last week’s military takeover accused the military of engineering a blockade of Port Sudan in order to pressure civilian leaders and justify plans to end civilian rule. The army has denied being behind the blockade and refused to be involved, saying it was based on legitimate demands.
Abdullah Abushar, secretary of the High Beja Council, which imposed the blockade in September, said barricades at the port and on Khartoum’s main road were being removed for a month starting Monday morning.
Members of the Beja tribal group closed the Red Sea port in September, calling for a number of demands, including the replacement of a civilian-led government.
The Port Sudan blockade, which closed the main road connecting the Red Sea terminals and the capital, resulted in a shortage of wheat and fuel and re-route of shipments through Egypt.
The group had demanded that the civilian government be replaced with technocrats, and that parts of the October 2020 peace deal be renegotiated with rebel groups across Sudan.
Last week, Sudan’s military seized power in a coup, detaining civilian officials and politicians, and promising to install a new government of technocrats. The coup has faced protests and street demonstrations over the past week.
Abushar said the blockade was being lifted to allow the installation of a new government, but would be reinstated in a month until the rest of Beja’s demands were met.