Drug War in River Nile State
By Al Asmai Basahri
Hardly a day goes by since 2018, up until todays date, without news coming from River Nile State, especially the cities of Atbara and Shendi, reporting that anti-drug authorities are pursuing drug traffickers or apprehending shipments of large quantities targeting the markets of these two cities.
During the current month of August, a local police team in Shendi, River Nile State, managed to seize a truck carrying millions of narcotic Captagon pills. According to the police press office, the truck was driven by a foreign driver with the intention of distributing them in the localities of Shendi and Atbara. Additionally, a joint force composed of the anti-narcotics police, security police, and the General Intelligence Agency managed to seize a large quantity of narcotics pills. Local media sources informed Citizen that the seized quantity amounted to 1,288 narcotic pills, which were hidden in a house located in one of the crime dens in the Khalio neighborhood north of Atbara.
Some activists have linked the spread of drugs among the youth over the past five years to the targeting of the honorable December Revolution youth. They described the proliferation and easy circulation of drugs in neighborhoods and cities as systematic, with certain elements related to the counter-revolution having mysterious connections with traders, distributors, smugglers, and security authorities. Previous investigations by police centers revealed networks that were being shielded as soon as individuals involved in them were identified, individuals who had ties to the authorities.
According to social activists, a significant number of tragic stories talk about young people in these cities who became addicted to drugs, turning their families lives into hell due to the treatment costs and the social and security consequences of addiction.
Anti-drug committees within the neighborhoods of the states cities continue to sense the danger of drugs. They have decided to collectively confront this danger, mobilizing all their efforts. They pay for the treatment of addicts and hand over distributors to the police.
According to a security source in the state, more than twenty traders and distributors are serving sentences in the states prisons, ranging from five to twenty years. Human rights activists accused local authorities of leniency in the battle against drugs, and did not rule out the involvement of security elements in the process of introducing and selling drugs in River Nile State.
Realizing their social role, the faculty association of Shendi University organized awareness lectures about the dangers of drugs and addiction in the city of Shendi.
Dr. Suleiman Al Kamal stated that these awareness lectures are part of activating the universitys role in serving the community. He talked about drugs, their types, their health effects, different types of addiction and their treatment, and the social problems resulting from the spread of drug abuse. He emphasized the role of families and educational institutions.
