For the seventh consecutive day, anti-government demonstrations continued on Sunday in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, in Port Sudan, Atbara, Gedaref, and Kassala.

The protests, originally directed against the austerity measures announced and implemented by the Sudanese government last Sunday evening, are now also directed against the violence used by the police and security forces in order to disperse the crowds.

In Khartoum demonstrations took place in the neighbourhoods of Al Sahafa, Al Ushara, Sajana, Al Deim, and Soug Al Shaabi, and at the southern section of the University of Sudan.

Witnesses confirmed that the demonstrations were smaller than the ones on Friday. The protesters shouted slogans like “We have brought in over a hundred dead, our revolt is 100 per cent peaceful.” They called for the downfall of the regime. The security forces used live ammunition, batons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

Khartoum witnessed an intense spread of security forces on the bridges since the early morning on Sunday and large trucks filled with soldiers and heavily armoured security vehicles in the main streets.

The speech by President Omar Al Bashir, planned for Sunday at Al Saha Al Khadra, was cancelled because the crowds expected to attend did not appear.

The ministry of Education of Khartoum state announced an extension of the closure of schools until 20 October.

In the city of Atbara, northern Sudan, students of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Wadi Al Nil, organised a well visited political seminar. Slogans like “down with the regime” were chanted. Yet, when the participants wanted to leave the university they were besieged by the police.

In Kassala town, eastern Sudan, limited demonstrations took place in the afternoon. The police managed to disperse them.

One of the demonstrators in Port Sudan told Radio Dabanga that dozens of people on Sunday began a demonstration in the city. Secondary school students and students of the Red Sea University joined them, and they reached the big market.

There they were confronted by security forces using batons and tear gas. A vehicle of the security forces hit Al Sheikh Salih Abdallah Faraj. He was transferred to the hospital of Port Sudan in a critical condition. A number of demonstrators were arrested and the market was closed.

File photo (Twitter)