SUDAN: Opposition calls for more protests against al-Bashir

Sudan’s largest opposition groups have called for a fresh wave of protests to demand that President Omar al-Bashir step down, as the longtime ruler made another attempt to stem popular discontent by promising wage hikes and appealing to patriotism. In a joint statement on Thursday, four groups called for nationwide protests on Friday and a […]

Sudan’s largest opposition groups have called for a fresh wave of protests to demand that President Omar al-Bashir step down, as the longtime ruler made another attempt to stem popular discontent by promising wage hikes and appealing to patriotism.

In a joint statement on Thursday, four groups called for nationwide protests on Friday and a march on the president’s Nile-side palace on Sunday.

They also called for a march on parliament in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman to present a petition demanding that the 74-year-old general-turned-president step down. Sudan has seen two weeks of violent street protests, with dozens killed.

During Thursday’s anti-government protests in Port Sudan, Sudanese security forces fired tear gas at protesters who were trying to deliver an anti-government petition to the local headquarters of President Omar al-Bashir’s ruling National Congress party, a witness told Reuters news agency.