Bashir says Sudan protesters trying to emulate Arab Spring

Sudan’s president says protesters are trying to imitate the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, which shook the region. Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has said protesters in the country are trying to imitate the 2011 Arab Spring and blamed unidentified outside groups for trying to destabilise the region. During a visit to Cairo on Sunday, where he met Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, al-Bashir said the unrest in Sudan was “an attempt to copy the so-called Arab Spring for Sudan.” It is Bashir’s second overseas visit since last month, when protests triggered by an increase in bread prices erupted in the country.

The demonstrations have also called for al-Bashir, who has been in power for nearly 30 years, to step down as the country’s leader. Sisi said he was eager to maintain the close historical ties between the two countries, while al-Bashir said the protests against him were not as bad as they seemed, accusing outside groups of trying to undermine his rule in what he compared with Egypt’s own experience during its 2011 uprising. “There are many negative organizations working on shaking the stability and security of the region,” al-Bashir said at a joint press conference after the meeting. ple have died in the protests, however, rights groups have put the death toll at more than 40. Bashir, who took power in a 1989 military coup, has said any change of leadership could only come through the ballot box. He is expected to run for another term in office next year. He was indicted in 2010 by the International Criminal Court for genocide in Darfur, and restricts his travel to friendly Arab and African countries. Sudan’s economy has struggled to recover in recent years following the loss of about 80 percent of its oil reserves with the secession of South Sudan in 2011.