KHARTOUM, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The crises in eastern Sudan continue to escalate and analysts believe it's part of a plan to put pressure on Sudan's transitional government to respond to the region's demands.
In a statement on Friday, supporters of the leader of the Hadendawa tribe Mohamed Al-Amin Tirik, announced closure of Kassala airport in eastern Sudan, one day after the closure of Port-Sudan international airport.
The closure of the sea ports and land roads linking eastern Sudan with the capital Khartoum entered its 7th day as part of a plan to put pressure on Sudan's transitional government to respond to the region's demands.
Tirik, who is also the chairman of the High Council of Beja Nazirs (chieftains), demands cancelation of the eastern Sudan's track of the Juba Agreement for Peace in Sudan and dissolving of the civilian government, provided that the rule be assumed by army leaders.
Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok recently established a committee composed of cabinet affairs minister, foreign and transport ministers and borders commissioner to resolve the crises in eastern Sudan.
To this end, the oil sector workers' association said in a statement on Friday that the closure of Bashayer Port may lead to halting exportation of South Sudan's oil through the Sudanese pipeline, and bring negative impact on the production of Khartoum refinery as well as the electricity production.
Meanwhile, Abdul-Khaliq Mahjoub, a Sudanese political analyst, warned that the closure of ports will have negative effects on the state, which may lose millions of U.S. dollars if South Sudan's oil exportation ceased.
"The move is also expected to push the international transport companies to stop using the Sudanese ports," he added.
Eastern Sudanese tribes mainly reject eastern Sudan's track in the Juba Agreement for Peace in Sudan signed in October 2020, and demand a new track that discusses their demands and addresses issues, mainly about the region's development.
The eastern Sudan's crises come amid rising differences between the partners in the ruling military and civilian coalition in Sudan.
Yasir Arman, political adviser to Sudan's prime minister, believes that the developments in eastern Sudan constitute one of the steps aiming to end the transitional period.
In an article published on Friday, Arman said that "there are new steps on the path to starve the people, threaten their security and end the transitional period with the so-called early elections."
"Preventing the oil export by closing the pipeline and Bashayer Port on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan will lead to major economic losses that both Sudan and South Sudan, which export oil through the pipeline and the port, will not bear," he added.
Arman further warned that the protests in eastern Sudan would stop shipping of about 600,000 barrels of oil and cancel pre-contracts and international agreements which will result in legal penalties and costly technical damages to the oil carrier which may exceed more than one billion dollars.
Since the announcement of foiling a coup attempt on Sept. 21, the differences between the military and civilian components in the transitional government have further escalated.
Mohamed al-Faki Suleiman, a spokesman for Sudan's Sovereign Council, said in an interview with Sudan's official TV on Friday that "there is a complete closure of the political process, and the relationship between the civil and military components is not good."
Sudan is ruled amid a 39-month transitional period under a transitional government of military and civilian elements, established after the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. The transitional period is set to be followed by elections to form a new government. Enditem
