Khartoum: Sudanese police on Wednesday fired tear gas at crowds of anti-government protesters in Kassala, witnesses said, in the first such demonstration held in the eastern town bordering Eritrea.
Protesters chanting “Freedom, justice and peace” took to the streets in downtown Kassala but were swiftly confronted by riot police, witnesses said by telephone.
It came just days after crowds held a rally in the town in support of President Omar al Bashir.
Witnesses said that as protesters came into the streets, shopkeepers shut their shops in the town’s main market.
Deadly protests have rocked Sudan since December 19 when angry people demonstrated in towns and villages against a government decision to raise the price of bread.
At least 24 people have died in the protests that have swiftly turned into nationwide rallies in which demonstrators have called on Bashir to step down.
On January 7, supporters of Bashir had held a rally backing him in Kassala, the first such pro-government rally which was followed days later by another in the capital.
Hundreds of people from Kassala and neighbouring towns and villages gathered in front of the local governorate to express their support for Bashir. Kassala has been under a state of emergency since last year, prompted by a government plan to collect illegal arms and to combat drugs and human trafficking.
Sudanese police fired tear gas at crowds of demonstrators chanting “Peace, justice, freedom” in Khartoum on Tuesday, a day after President Bashir insisted protests will not lead to a change in government.
Deadly protests have rocked Sudan since December 19 when angry people took to the streets in towns and villages against a government decision to raise the price of bread.
At least 24 people have died in the protests, which swiftly turned into nationwide rallies in which demonstrators have called on Bashir to step down.
On Tuesday, crowds of protesters took to the streets in the capital’s business district of El Kalakla chanting “Peace, freedom, justice” and “We are fighters, we will achieve our mission,” witnesses said.
Men and women, carrying the Sudanese flag and banners declaring “Revolution is the people’s choice,” marched as riot police moved in to disperse them with tear gas, the witnesses said. Protesters also staged a demonstration in Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum across the Nile, but it ended swiftly.
As darkness fell, the protesters broke up into groups and staged small rallies in streets and alleys of El-Kalakla as police chased them, witnesses said, adding the demonstration later ended. Hours before the protests began, authorities had deployed police in some areas of Khartoum including in El-Kalakla and in parts of Omdurman, but reinforcements swiftly joined riot police after protesters came out onto the streets.
The Sudanese Professionals’ Association that is spearheading the rallies has urged protesters to continue with their near daily demonstrations this week, calling it the “Week of Uprising”. Tuesday’s demonstrations came a day after Bashir insisted protesters would fail in their goal.
“Demonstrations will not change the government,” Bashir told a rally of supporters in Niyala, the capital of South Darfur state.
“There’s only one road to power and that is through the ballot box. The Sudanese people will decide in 2020 who will govern them,” said Bashir, who is planning to run for the presidency for the third time in elections to be held next year.
His supporters responded to him with chants of “Stay, stay”. — AFP
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