Sudan sees renewed protests in Khartoum, Omdurman

KHARTOUM (AA) - Sudanese police on Tuesday forcibly dispersed several protests in Khartoum and Omdurman, Sudan’s second-largest city, witnesses said.

Dozens of students from Khartoum university were dispersed by teargas after gathering outside the university campus in central Khartoum, witnesses told Anadolu Agency, adding that a number of demonstrators had been detained by police.

Meanwhile, a separate demonstration by lawyers -- held outside Sudan’s Supreme Court -- was similarly broken up by police.

A third protest staged by teachers outside Sudan’s Education Ministry was likewise dispersed, witnesses said.

Meanwhile, in the city of Omdurman, a number of separate protests were reported, including one staged by academics and doctors.

Sudan has been rocked by popular protests since mid-December, with demonstrators decrying President Omar al-Bashir’s seeming failure to remedy the country’s chronic economic woes.

Sudanese authorities say around 31 people have been killed since the protests began, while the opposition puts the death toll at closer to 50.

Last month, al-Bashir -- in power since 1989 -- pledged to carry out urgent economic reforms amid continued calls by the opposition to protest.

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