Khartoum: Rhino – The Sudanese Teachers’ Committee condemned what it described as threats by the Director General of Al-Jazirah State Police against striking teachers to take action against them, expressing its categorical rejection of any attempt to deal with the teachers’ just and legitimate demands through threats or intimidation.

In a statement, the committee emphasized that the threat of security measures will not resolve the crisis or address the root causes of the problem; rather, it will only exacerbate tensions and reflect a failure to address a just cause that should have been met with serious dialogue and fair decisions.

The statement held the relevant authorities fully responsible for any measures targeting teachers for exercising their legitimate right to peaceful protest, and called on the relevant authorities to open an investigation into these threats and hold the Director General of Police accountable if the incident is proven, because in that case he would be professionally and morally unfit to carry out the duties of a police officer who is supposed to serve the people, not intimidate them.

The statement read: “The teachers’ issue is not a security issue, and it will not become one no matter how hard attempts are made to portray it as such. It is an issue of legitimate rights and entitlements, and its proper place is at the table of dialogue and responsible decision-making, not in the arena of threats and intimidation.”

The statement added: (Teachers resorted to striking only after exhausting all possible avenues to demand their rights, and after years of continuous deterioration in their living and professional conditions, to the point where teachers have become unable to provide even the minimum requirements for a decent life. Therefore, the real responsibility does not lie with those demanding their rights, but with the authorities who ignored these legitimate demands and allowed conditions to reach their current state).