Police fire tear gas to break up Sudan protests on ‘Friday of Change’

Sudanese police fired tear gas on Friday to break up protests in the capital Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman, witnesses said, after Protests swept over many Sudanese cities including the capital Khartoum following Friday’s prayers, under the motto: “Freedom and Change”.

On Thursday night, Sudanese security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters who were trying to deliver an anti-government petition to the local headquarters of President Omar al-Bashir’s ruling party in Port Sudan, a witness said.

22 Sudanese political parties signed a memorandum on Tuesday and was sent to al-Bashir, calling for the dissolution of the Sudanese government and parliament.

For his part, Sudan’s President held a press conference on Thursday saying that the country is being targeted by an economic war since 21 years of imposed sanctions, warning that “protests do not mean vandalism, burning and destruction.”

Since the demonstrations began, Bashir has appeared largely unperturbed, tempering his talk of conspiracies against Sudan with pledges of economic reform, calls for restraint and the announcement of a fact-finding committee - steps dismissed by protesters as symbolic.

“We are committed to holding free and fair elections in 2020, and we ask that all political powers prepare to participate,” Bashir said on Monday.

Meanwhile, Al Arabiya news channel’s correspondent in Khartoum was summoned by the Sudanese security for interrogation, without any further details.