Sudan protests over teacher’s death

Thousands of residents poured out on to the streets of Sudan’s eastern province of Kassala yesterday to denounce the death of a protester last week in demonstrations calling for the president’s removal.

The protester, Ahmed Khair, was a 33-year-old school teacher who was detained last Thursday and pronounced dead in custody last Friday evening.

Protests have gripped Sudan since December, initially over rising prices and shortages — but quickly shifting to calls for the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir.

The teacher’s death raises the toll of the protests to 53. An estimated 2,000 protesters have also since been wounded, many shot in the eye with birdshot and some losing limbs from live ammunition.