Sudan experiences sixth day of anti-government protests

June 21, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – Anti-government protests in Sudan continued for the sixth day on Thursday amid reports of crackdown on journalists.

The current protest movement erupted on Sunday this week after students from University of Khartoum (UoK) demonstrated downtown against rising costs of living set to get worse by government plans to end fuel subsidies as part of wider austerity measures.

Since then the protests spilled out to different parts of the capital Khartoum and police forces responded with violence using teargas and batons.

Dozens of demonstrators and anti-government activists have been arrested and reportedly tortured.

Eye witnesses told Sudan Tribune that fresh protests erupted Thursday in and around the institute of financial and banking studies in downtown Khartoum but the police had managed to disperse the protesting students using teargas and batons.

An Egyptian journalist covering the protests at Khartoum University for Bloomberg, Salma El Wardani, said she was detained along with a Sudanese blogger, Maha El-Sanousi.

According to El-Wardani, who spoke to the Egyptian daily al-Masry al-Youm, they were interrogated for five hours before being released.

Another reporter for AFP was also detained this week while covering the unrest.

Sudanese activists say they are planning more protests today after Friday prayer.

The degree to which the public participates in Friday’s protests will indicate whether the protest movement is likely to develop into an all-out uprising.

(ST)