Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Africa
AfricaNewsWorld

Sudan Unrest: Over 30 Dead in Protests Sparked by Fuel Subsidies Cut

By | Published on September 28, 2013
CommentsComments (0) Add ABS as a preferred source on Google i

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.

The ABS Newsletter — Stories that matter, in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Latest from Atlanta Black Star

Back to top