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Sudan: Police disperse protest condemning deteriorating living conditions 

July 1, 2021 at 9:34 am

Sudanese march during a demonstration in the capital Khartoum urging the government to step down over delayed justice and recent harsh economic reforms, on 30 June 2021. [ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP via Getty Images]

Police in the Sudanese capital Khartoum yesterday dispersed a demonstration denouncing the deteriorating living conditions, which coincided with the second anniversary of the 30 June movement.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets to express their anger at the poor economic and living conditions, and headed towards the presidential palace in Khartoum on the second anniversary of the 30 June movement. On that day in 1989, Omar Al-Bashir seized power in a coup which saw him remain at the helm of the country’s leadership for 30 years. He was ousted following popular protests in 2019.

Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters and blocked routes leading to the palace. Checkpoints were also established at the entrances to the presidential palace and the Council of Ministers, while roads leading to the centre of the capital were blocked using armoured vehicles and concrete barriers.

Other protesters closed the road between Khartoum and the city of Port Sudan, eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency.

The protests came in response to calls to reject the government’s policies, amid the declining economic situation in the country.

Protests held on 30 June 2019 led to negotiations between the dissolved Military Council and the Forces of Freedom and Change Alliance (FFC), which represents the civilian protest movement. An agreement was later signed which established a transitional phase and a power sharing deal between the civil and military movements.

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