Sudan protests continue in Atbara, spread to Khartoum

KHARTOUM (AA) - Demonstrations in Sudan spread to capital Khartoum on Thursday while protests continued -- for the second day in a row -- in the northern city of Atbara.

Demonstrators decry rampant inflation and deteriorating economic conditions.

Eyewitnesses reported violent demonstrations in the center of Khartoum and in the city’s Demi, Haj Yusuf and Arkweet neighborhoods.

Police used teargas and fired into the air to disperse the crowds, while shops in the capital’s central market were closed, according to witnesses.

Demonstrations also continued in the northern city of Atbara -- for the second day in a row -- despite the imposition there of an official state of emergency.

And in the town of Zaidab (located some 250 kilometers north of Khartoum), protesters torched a government building, witnesses said.