More protests target al-Bashir

– Sudanese police fired tear gas yesterday at crowds of anti-government protesters in Khartoum after organisers called for nationwide rallies against President Omar al-Bashir.

Protesters chanting “peace, peace” and “revolution is the people’s choice” took to the streets, but were quickly confronted by riot police, witnesses told AFP.

Protests that first erupted in the provinces on December 19 over a government decision to triple the price of bread have escalated into nationwide rallies seen as the biggest threat to Bashir’s three-decade rule.

Authorities say the protests have left 24 people dead, but Human Rights Watch put the death toll at 40. –

Khartoum