Sudanese police fired tear gas Sunday at crowds of anti-government protesters in Khartoum and war-torn Darfur as organisers called for more nationwide rallies against President Omar al-Bashir this week. The demonstrations in Darfur were the first of their kind since unrest erupted on December 19 over a government decision to triple the price of bread.
The protests have since swiftly escalated into nationwide rallies widely seen as the biggest threat to Bashir's rule in his three decades in power. Protesters who took to the streets in the capital's Bahari district chanting "peace, peace" and "revolution is the people's choice" were quickly confronted by riot police, witnesses told AFP.
Authorities say the protests have left 24 people dead so far, while Human Rights Watch has put the death toll at 40, including children and medical staff. The European Union said on Friday that security forces have used "live ammunition" against protesters causing casualties, although Sudanese officials including Bashir have blamed the violence on "thugs" and "conspirators".
Protest organisers have called for near daily demonstrations across the country against Bashir this week, calling it a "Week of Uprising". In Khartoum on Sunday protesters were seen carrying the Sudanese flag as others held banners bearing the words "peace, justice, freedom", which has become a key slogan in the rallies.
Witnesses told AFP that police were pursuing protesters down Bahari's streets and alleys. "It's like a cat and mouse game," a witness said. Many of the protesters were women who wore masks to protect themselves from tear gas as they whistled and clapped in the streets of Bahari, the hub of Sunday's demonstration, witnesses said.
Some residents in Bahari took protesters inside their homes and offered them juice as tear gas canisters stuck the facades of their buildings, a witness said. Video posted on social media showed police arresting several protesters. The footage could not be independently verified.
Police dispersed the rally later on Sunday, but the smell of tear gas lingered across the neighbourhood, witnesses said. Several streets remained blocked with burnt tyres and rocks thrown by protesters, a witness said, adding that riot police, some in vehicles loaded with machineguns, remained deployed in the area. Protests broke out in Darfur after calls for rallies there by the Sudanese Professionals' Association, which has spearheaded the demonstrations.