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English edition -2nd quarter 1998
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Bombs in Khartoum
| A series of explosions, mainly aimed at electricity centres and fuel
depots, took place in and around Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, at the
end of June. According to the authorities, six devices exploded whereas
three others were defused just in time. The extent of the damage caused
is not known. It is said that a fuel tank caught fire following an explosion
at the depot in Chajara, south of Khartoum. Two other fires were set off
at the electricity centre of Burri, near the Kobar bridge which links Khartoum
with the northern part of the capital. There is no mention yet of the number
of people injured or killed.
These attacks coincided with the celebrations that marked the ninth anniversary of the 1989 coup d’Etat, as well as the proclamation of the new constitution. The government attributes these explosions to the opposition which, through AND (The National Democratic Alliance, which regroups all the opposition parties), its representative in Cairo, opposed a formal denial, attributing the attacks to the divisions among the different members of the power structure. The opinion in Khartoum estimates that it is the government itself which provoked these explosions but tries to put the responsibility on the opposition so as it may apply the state of emergency, thereby suspending the constitution as soon as it is promulgated. In brief, this manipulation is similar to the arsons of Reichstag for which Hitler was accused of having provoked in order to get rid of the communists. There is no doubt, it will not take long to know what really happened. Meanwhile several arrests are taking place, targeting trade unionists and members of the old opposition parties who are still in the country. They are accused of engaging themselves in these attacks and they are to be publicly prosecuted. |