Sudan Police Fire Tear Gas to Quell Latest Anti-Bashir Protests

(Bloomberg) -- Sudanese police fired tear gas to disperse a new wave of protests against President Umar al-Bashir, the latest in more than a week of unrest that the government says has claimed 19 lives.

Police took the measures Friday in a western neighborhood of the capital, Khartoum, and in Omdurman, its twin city, as demonstrators once again went to the streets. The protests, which come amid acute cash shortages and inflation of almost 70 percent, represent one of the most serious challenges to al-Bashir since he led an Islamist-supported military coup to power in 1989.

Information Minister Bushara Gomma told reporters late Thursday that 17 civilians and two soldiers had been killed in the protests. Amnesty International said Dec. 24 it had credible reports that 37 protesters had been shot dead by security forces in the first five days of the unrest.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammed Alamin in Khartoum at malamin1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn, Ana Monteiro

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