OMDOURMAN, Sudan: Supporters of Sadiq Al-Mahdi, Sudan's ex-prime minister and leader of the opposition Umma Party gather as he addresses them in a mosque in the capital Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman. - AFP

KHARTOUM: Fresh
protests over the rising cost of bread broke out in Sudan yesterday, witnesses
said, as troops deployed after two days of deadly clashes that left eight
protesters dead. A government decision to raise the price of a loaf of bread
this week from one Sudanese pound to three (from about two to six US cents)
sparked protests across the country.

In the capital's
twin city Omdurman, a witness-who declined to be named-said demonstrations
erupted as worshippers emerged from a mosque frequented by followers of the
Al-Ansar sect, which is linked to the Umma Party, Sudan's main opposition
group. Protesters chanted "the people want the fall of the regime"
and "freedom, freedom," said the witness. "Riot police fired
tear gas at the demonstrators," the witness added. The Umma Party
overnight Thursday issued a statement calling on its members to join the
protest movement.

Dozens also
demonstrated on Road 60, a main artery in eastern Khartoum that links the city
centre to the south of the capital, another witness said. They demanded the
government's ouster, the witness said on condition of anonymity, adding that
the protesters were dispersed by riot police. Protests were reported in other
cities, including in El Obeid, southwest of Khartoum, and in Rabak, south of
the capital. In Rabak, the capital of Sudan's White Nile state, protesters
torched the local headquarters of President Omar al-Bashir's National Congress
Party (NCP) and a government charity, witnesses told AFP.

White Nile
authorities on Friday declared a state of emergency and announced a curfew
until the following morning. The protests first erupted in the eastern city of
Atbara before spreading to Al-Qadarif, also in eastern Sudan, and then to the
capital. Two demonstrators were killed in Atbara and six others in Al-Qadarif,
officials said on Thursday, as protesters torched an NCP offices. Government
spokesman Bashar Jumaa warned that the government "will not be lenient"
with those who set state buildings on fire or caused other damage to public
property.

Schools ordered
to close

The state-run
SUNA news agency said the protest had initially been "peaceful", but
later drifted off course. Sudan's education ministry on Friday announced in a
statement that schools across Khartoum would be closed and classes suspended
"indefinitely from Sunday". Rights group Amnesty International called
on the government to stop firing on protesters and open up a probe into the deaths.
"These killings must stop," Amnesty's Deputy Director for East Africa
Seif Magango said. "Opening fire on unarmed protesters cannot be justified
and what is clearly needed now is an independent, efficient
investigation," he added. Friday, the weekly day of rest, had started with
calm returning to Khartoum, Al-Qadarif and Atbara, witnesses said.

While traffic
returned to normal, police patrolled some streets in Khartoum, and soldiers
deployed around petrol stations and banks in the north of the capital. Police
in patrol cars were seen carrying clubs and tear gas canisters while the troops
held Kalashnikov assault rifles, the witnesses said. An AFP reporter said lines
formed outside bakeries in north Khartoum as residents waited to buy bread.
Residents in Al-Qadarif and Atbara also reported that security forces had
deployed to secure government buildings and banks. "Today the city is calm
and most of the shops in the main market have reopened," Mohammed Sharif
Omar said in a telephone interview from Al-Qadarif.

Economic woes

The Umma Party's
call for members to join the protest movement came after its leader Sadiq
Al-Mahdi returned home Wednesday from almost a year in exile. Sudan has been
facing a mounting economic crisis over the past year. The cost of some
commodities has more than doubled, inflation is running at close to 70 percent
and the pound has plunged in value. Shortages have been reported for the past
three weeks across several cities, including Khartoum. Protests broke out in
January over the rising cost of food, but they were soon brought under control
with the arrest of opposition leaders and activists. - AFP