Sudanese cleric cautions Nigerians about planned protest

A Sudanese cleric has cautioned Nigerians against the nationwide protest called for 1 August, warning that it may be hijacked by interests who do not wish the country well.

Al-Mustapha Assudany spoke on Friday at the Sultan Bello Mosque, Kaduna. He spoke about previous protests in Sudan and other Muslim countries which he described as catastrophic.

The full video of the pre-Friday sermon was later posted on the Facebook page of Ahmad Gumi, a Kaduna-based cleric who hosted the Sudanese.

The cleric in the 24 minutes-long video, cautioned the youth not to give room to enemies to destroy Nigeria, saying the Sudanese youth protesters inadvertently paved the way to their country’s destruction.

The protest in Sudan started on 19 December 2018 and continued with sustained civil disobedience for about eight months.

The protest resulted in the 2019 coup d’état that deposed President Omar al-Bashir on 11 April after 30 years in power.

Mr Assudany said as in Nigeria, the protesters in Sudan had complained about harsh economic conditions. However, he said, since then, Sudan and other Muslim countries who protested against hardship ended up destroying their countries.

“I stand before you to advise you about the planned protest in Nigeria. Before the protest in Nigeria, there was a protest in Syria, Libya, Tunisia, and Yemen and it happened in Sudan. I am from Sudan, and what happened in Sudan is what had happened in other Muslim countries where protests occurred.

“As I heard about the planned protest in Nigeria, I made it mandatory for myself as in the teaching of Islam to share my experience and counsel people on what had happened in Sudan and other Muslim countries resulting from the hardship protest,” Mr Assudany stated

He said the protests in those countries were hijacked by those opposing the government and some foreign countries.

“The high cost of living is what made some Sudan citizens protest. Those who started the protest had no sinister motives, but many organisations, including opposition and foreigners, went into the protest.

“The interests provided logistics and directed the protesters on what to do. Eventually, the protest put the country in trouble, it allowed outsiders to meddle in the crisis. Foreign countries supported the youth, provided the logistics, supported and guided them on what to do,” Mr Assudany said.

He said the initial intention of the protesters was to address the high cost of living but vested interest intervened and guided the protesters on how to topple the government.

He said those who hijacked the protest made the citizens believe that when they dissolved the government things would be good for all citizens.

“The protest raged on, they (foreigners) were busy forming offices across Sudan, encouraging the youth on their right to protest. Anyone who spoke against the protest was abused and humiliated

“At last, they asked the protesters to barricade the military headquarters and all government establishments to deny them movement and block all routes, and shops in major cities. They compelled the military to take over, this is what happened.

“The protesters disagreed among themselves on the transition period announced by the military and who among the military was to lead the country; that is how the protest and the trouble continued,” Mr Assudany said.

Mr Assudany claimed that hundreds of the protesters were killed in the protest by their fellow protesters as part of foreign conspiracies to spite the people to revolt against the government.

“The protest led to unprecedented war between the military and other civilian groups, some civilians living in the remote areas were attacked and killed by their rivals just because there was no authority in place.

“Two-thirds of the Sudanese population have fled their country. Some wealthy individuals who owned companies are now begging for food to eat.

“The mass killings in Sudan are between Muslim faithful; what if this happens in Nigeria, a complex society with different religions?” Mr Assudany queried.

“Assuming that you forced the current administration out of power, who are the people that will call the country to order? Let us sit back and think. It happened in many countries, it can happen in Nigeria. I caution you not to give room for people who don’t want Muslim countries to thrive to come into your country and destroy it.

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“These people can only lead your country to disaster, not a solution to your problem”, Mr Assudany said.

Sudan has been in turmoil since the overthrow of long-ruling dictator, Mr Al-Bashir, in 2019.

A civil war broke out between rival factions of the ruling military junta in April 2019 and has reduced the capital, Khartoum, to rubble and left many other cities in the country in ruins.