Anti-government protests and demonstrations continued for a fifth day in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum yesterday following Friday prayers, as public anger grew over the rising death toll in the unrest that came in the wake of Khartoum’s decision to cut fuel subsidies.
According to Sudan Tribune, the twin capital city of Omdurman was the site of the fiercest clashes between thousands of demonstrators chanting “Freedom! Freedom!” and security forces that used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the protestors.
Other areas of Khartoum also saw protests, but at a smaller scale than Omdurman.
In Kalakla area, south of Khartoum, eyewitnesses said that some police units joined protestors. East of Kalakla the police deployed in large numbers near mosques in anticipation of protests following Friday prayers. However, they did not intervene when people took the streets, and just monitored them.
According to official figures, 31 people were killed so far in this week’s protests, the Tribute reported.
Sudan Summons US Diplomat for Visa Protest
Sudanese media are reporting that the foreign ministry has summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires in Khartoum to protest Washington’s failure to grant a visa to the country’s president, who faces war crimes charges, according to the Associated Press.
President Omar al-Bashir requested the visa to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The charges are linked to the bloody conflict in the Darfur region.
The semi-official Sudan Media Center on Saturday quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Abu Bakr Al-Sadek as saying that the U.S. refusal was a blatant violation of its commitments as a host country of the United Nations.
Washington has made it clear it doesn’t want al-Bashir in New York. A U.S. official said Friday the visa application was still pending, the AP reports.
