Sudanese Professionals Association announces suspension of membership of 5 affiliated bodies

Sudanese demonstrators gather in front of military headquarters during a demonstration after The Sudanese Professionals Association’s (SPA) call, demanding a civilian transition government, in Khartoum, Sudan on April 21, 2019 [Mahmoud Hjaj / Anadolu Agency]

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) announced on Friday morning the suspension of the membership of five affiliated professional bodies, amid the aggravation of the conflict within the association that led the popular movement against ousted President Omar Al-Bashir.

In a statement issued by the council of the SPA, it was decided to suspend the bodies after their continuous violations of the charter and regulations of the SPA.

The SPA stated that the bodies that have been suspended are the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD), the Sudanese Engineers Association (SEA), the Sudanese Human Resources Professionals Gathering (SHRPG), the Meteorological Professionals Gathering and the Sudanese Environmentalists Association.

“This is in addition to the dismissal of all official speakers and withdrawal of all representatives of the SPA in the organisational structures of the Forces of Declaration of Freedom and Change and in government committees and councils until the issuance of an official decision regarding the representation of the SPA in these bodies,” added the SPA.

Read: Ex-Sudan FM arrested for ‘involvement in sabotage operations’

On Tuesday, a group from the SPA seized control over the SPA’s Facebook page, which has hundreds of thousands of followers. The SPA stressed that prompt legal measures are to be taken as a result.

On 13 May, disputes broke out within the bodies of the SPA, one of the most prominent components of the Forces of Freedom and Change that led the protest movement in the country, due to the selection of new general secretariat members for the SPA.

With the start of the popular movement on 19 December, 2018, against the regime of Al-Bashir, the SPA became a platform to announce the popular movement’s demands, and consists of several professional bodies, most notably the CCSD, the Democratic Lawyers Alliance, the SEA, the Journalists Network, the Teachers’ Committee, the Veterinary Preliminary Committee and the Pharmacists Committee.

Read: Roads closed in Khartoum as Sudan braces for mass protests

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