Sudanese police clash with protestors in northern state
November 10, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The city of Abu-Hamad in Nahr al-Neel state witnessed violent protests on Sunday between protestors and police amid reports of serious injuries on both sides.
Education officials and police spoke to the students and assured them that they are able to maintain security.
The protesters burned the market and other facilities then clashed with police forces and casted stones at them injuring a force commander.
The police said in a statement that following the stabbing incident around 600 people gathered in front of Abu Hamad high school for girls then headed to the locality headquarters where they were dispersed by riot police from these premises.
The protesters then moved to Abu-Hamad customs market where they set fire to some of the furniture in there until police confronted them leading to multiple injuries sustained among police units, the statement added.
The police said that it was forced to fire teargas to disperse the protesters adding that they brought the situation under control.
It also vowed to intensify their investigations to determine the circumstances surrounding the stabbing incident in school in order to find the offender .
But the Department of Education in Abu-Hamad under pressure from protesters decided to temporarily suspend studies in the school.
Witnesses said that the city is now quieter after markets were shut down and the closure of roads to public traffic.
The police chief of the River Nile State Maj. Gen. Hussein Nafie , denied that there was any shooting or arrests. He said he expects life in the market to return to normal in the coming hours and called for citizens to show restraint.
Nafie said police worked on the restoration of security and disperse the protesters after violence and vandalism that took place in the market.
(ST)