Sudanese cities rocked by fresh wave of protest

By Mohammed Amin

KHARTOUM (AA) – Anti-regime demonstrations resumed Thursday in Khartoum and in several other Sudanese cities, the Sudanese Professional Association, a major trade union that has led the protests for the last three months, said in statement.

According to witnesses, protests erupted Thursday in more than 20 districts of the capital, with demonstrators chanting slogans against President Omar al-Bashir and his ruling National Congress Party.

“Thousands of people took to the streets of Khartoum in the Burri, Sahafa, Shambat, Oshara and Shagara neighborhoods, among others,” one witness told Anadolu Agency.

According to the same witness, who spoke anonymously due to security concerns, similar demonstrations also occurred in Omdurman’s Old City district.

One witness in Khartoum’s Burri district, also insisting on anonymity, said police had used “excessive force” to disperse protesters, including the use of teargas and batons.

Sudan’s parliament, meanwhile, censured calls by some opposition groups to boycott talks with the government.

In a statement, the assembly accused the “Sudan Call” -- an umbrella grouping of opposition movements -- of “jeopardizing the country’s peace and stability”.

On Wednesday evening, the Sudan Call announced plans to halt all talks with the government until it was prepared to hand over the reins of power.

Sudan has witnessed more than three months of nationwide protests, with demonstrators demanding al-Bashir’s resignation.

A nation of 40 million, Sudan has struggled to recover from the loss of some three quarters of its oil output -- its main source of foreign currency -- since the 2011 secession of South Sudan.