Tear gas fired at Sudan protesters, faculty arrested

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Sudanese security authorities arrested faculty members at Khartoum University on Sunday, as riot police fired tear gas at protesters demanding that President Omar al-Bashir step down.

Deadly anti-government protests have rocked Sudanese cities including the capital since December 19, when unrest first broke out over a government decision to raise the price of bread.

Authorities said at least 19 people including two security personnel have been killed in clashes during the demonstrations so far, while rights groups have put the death toll at 37.

On Sunday, security forces trapped about 100 professors and lecturers inside the faculty clubhouse at Khartoum University to prevent them from coming outside to protest, witnesses said. At least eight faculty members were arrested, they added.

A police spokesman could not immediately be reached to comment.

Civilians queue to buy bread from a bakery in Khartoum, Sudan January 6, 2019. /VCG Photo

Crowds of protesters gathered in downtown Khartoum after the Sudanese Professionals' Association, a group of doctors, teachers and engineers organizing anti-government rallies over the past few weeks, called for a march on the presidential palace.

But riot police were quick to move in and disperse the protesters with tear gas, witnesses said.

Video footage posted on social media networks showed protesters fleeing down streets and alleyways in the downtown area trying to escape the noxious gas.

Anti-government rallies also broke out in Madani, Sudan's second largest city, southeast of the capital, witnesses said, with demonstrators chanting for "peace, justice, freedom".

A separate protest was held in the northern town of Atbara, where the current unrest first erupted on December 19.

Sudanese protesters chant slogans during an anti-government demonstration in Khartoum, January 6, 2018. /VCG Photo

The protests were smaller than previous demonstrations, during which security forces have used tear gas and even live ammunition against demonstrators, and rounded up more than 2,000 people.

Sudanese authorities have also launched a crackdown on opposition leaders, activists and journalists to prevent the spread of protests.

The country has been facing a mounting economic crisis over the past year led by an acute shortage of foreign currency.

The cost of some commodities including medicines has more than doubled and inflation has hit 70 percent.

The latest protests are the most persistent opposition Bashir has faced since he took power in a coup nearly 30 years ago.

(Top picture: Sudanese protesters cover their faces as tear gas is fired during an anti-government demonstration in Khartoum, January 6, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters