Press Release
The Sudanese Government Manufactures Suffering and Increases Electricity Tariffs by More Than 72%
(Translated)

Without prior announcement, the government—represented by the Electricity Company—has significantly increased electricity prices by more than 72%. The increases included residential consumption as follows:

● The first 100 kilowatts: from 4,000 pounds to 7,000 pounds

● The second 100 kilowatts: from 5,000 pounds to 9,000 pounds

● The third 100 kilowatts: from 6,000 pounds to 11,000 pounds ... and so on

The government’s implementation of these large increases in electricity kilowatt prices, which have no justification other than consuming people’s wealth unlawfully, increasing their suffering, and showing disregard for the reality in which the vast majority live—those who have lost much of what they owned due to this cursed war—confirms that this government does not care about the people or their conditions. It carries out this action like thieves who steal from people secretly and in the dark, as it knows there is no justification for these increases; therefore, it imposed them without prior announcement and behind the scenes.

We in Hizb ut Tahrir / Wilayah Sudan, in light of this government’s mismanagement, affirm the following:

First: Electricity is considered a necessity of life in this era, and it is part of public ownership, as stated in the saying of the Prophet (saw):

«النَّاسُ شُرَكَاءُ فِي ثَلَاثٍ: فِي الْمَاءِ، وَالْكَلَأِ، وَالنَّارِ» “People are partners in three: water, pasture, and fire.” The term “fire” in the hadith includes energy. Therefore, the basic principle is that it should be free of charge, or at worst provided at cost price.

Second: It is not permissible in Islam to transfer public ownership into private ownership, as is happening today in the issue of electricity, where it has been privatized in implementation of the orders of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Third: Instead of providing electricity to the citizens free of charge or at its real cost, the government profits from it. Therefore, we see it increasing service prices whenever it faces a budget deficit, so that it and its corrupt inner circle can live in luxury at the expense of impoverishing the people through increased taxes, customs duties, levies, and, last but not least, by raising electricity consumption tariffs.

This government, which before and after the war has had no concern except creating poverty and crushing the poor, and shows neither covenant nor responsibility toward us, is not worthy of ruling the best Ummah brought forth for mankind—an Ummah whose Prophet (saw) said

«اللَّهُمَّ مَنْ وَلِيَ مِنْ أَمْرِ أُمَّتِي شَيْئًا فَشَقَّ عَلَيْهِمْ فَاشْقُقْ عَلَيْهِ، وَمَنْ وَلِيَ مِنْ أَمْرِ أُمَّتِي شَيْئًا فَرَفَقَ بِهِمْ فَارْفُقْ بِه» “O Allah, whoever takes charge of any matter of my Ummah and makes it difficult for them, make it difficult for him; and whoever takes charge of any matter of my Ummah and is gentle with them, be gentle with him.”

These false, corrupt, and oppressive systems do nothing but impose hardship on people. Therefore, the people of Sudan must work with those who are working to implement Islam by establishing the second Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly Guided Caliphate) on the method of the Prophethood, which provides care and deals gently with the citizens seeking the pleasure of Allah (swt), the Lord of the worlds, not to satisfy usurious institutions of kufr, and which places public ownership in its proper position so that it reflects goodness and blessing upon the lives of the people.

Ibrahim Othman (Abu Khalil)
Official Spokesman of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Sudan