SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Sudan Cracks Down as Protests Over Austerity Grow
Jun 25, 2012
Raging against austerity measures and calling for an end to dictatorship, people across Sudan have staged 9 days of protests.
The police crackdown against protesters has been violent and has included the use of teargas and batons. And one reporter told CNN, "I was told a good number of activists have been detained from their homes before they even join the protest as a precautionary measure." Foreshadowing further violence to come, Reuters reports that "the state-linked Sudanese Media Center said in a text message that police had been ordered to 'immediately end the demonstrations and incidents of unrest according to the law.'"
Amnesty International has called for Sudan to end its crackdown on protesters. "The Sudanese government is showing zero tolerance for demonstrations and continues to deny the Sudanese people its right to peaceful assembly," said Paule Rigaud, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Africa.
* * *
Al Jazeera video: Sudan sees rise in anti-government protests
* * *
Agence France-Presse: Sudan protests are no 'Arab Spring', Bashir says
Anti-regime demonstrations have widened since [President Omar al-]Bashir on June 18 announced austerity measures including tax hikes and a phasing out of fuel subsidies to prop up the country's ailing finances. [...]
The protests over rising prices started with students outside the University of Khartoum. But they broadened to include a cross-section of the population in numerous locations throughout the capital, and several other parts of the country.
On Sunday, lawyers opposed to food price inflation took to the streets near the courthouse in El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state, where some were arrested, witnesses said.
Separately, about 100 students from a local university in El Obeid also protested and called for the downfall of the regime, while other demonstrators gathered in the town's main market, the witnesses said.
Police responded with tear gas and batons, they added, in what has become the standard reaction by security forces since demonstrations began on June 16 in Khartoum.
* * *
Harriet Martin writing for Al Jazeera: Rising prices ignite Sudan street protests
This week, in an attempt to address the economic meltdown, the Sudanese government announced dramatic austerity measures. Taxes are going up, government jobs are being cut, and the Sudanese pound is officially being devalued - as economists had long warned would have to happen. And fuel subsidies will gradually be ended.
This last measure has proved the most unpopular because it will affect the price of nearly everything in the economy, from transport to domestically produced food and other goods.
For the last few days, students in Khartoum have taken to the streets to protest against these austerity measures. Police have swiftly, and often violently, cracked down on the protests. Many opposition parties also oppose the austerity measures.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Raging against austerity measures and calling for an end to dictatorship, people across Sudan have staged 9 days of protests.
The police crackdown against protesters has been violent and has included the use of teargas and batons. And one reporter told CNN, "I was told a good number of activists have been detained from their homes before they even join the protest as a precautionary measure." Foreshadowing further violence to come, Reuters reports that "the state-linked Sudanese Media Center said in a text message that police had been ordered to 'immediately end the demonstrations and incidents of unrest according to the law.'"
Amnesty International has called for Sudan to end its crackdown on protesters. "The Sudanese government is showing zero tolerance for demonstrations and continues to deny the Sudanese people its right to peaceful assembly," said Paule Rigaud, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Africa.
* * *
Al Jazeera video: Sudan sees rise in anti-government protests
* * *
Agence France-Presse: Sudan protests are no 'Arab Spring', Bashir says
Anti-regime demonstrations have widened since [President Omar al-]Bashir on June 18 announced austerity measures including tax hikes and a phasing out of fuel subsidies to prop up the country's ailing finances. [...]
The protests over rising prices started with students outside the University of Khartoum. But they broadened to include a cross-section of the population in numerous locations throughout the capital, and several other parts of the country.
On Sunday, lawyers opposed to food price inflation took to the streets near the courthouse in El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state, where some were arrested, witnesses said.
Separately, about 100 students from a local university in El Obeid also protested and called for the downfall of the regime, while other demonstrators gathered in the town's main market, the witnesses said.
Police responded with tear gas and batons, they added, in what has become the standard reaction by security forces since demonstrations began on June 16 in Khartoum.
* * *
Harriet Martin writing for Al Jazeera: Rising prices ignite Sudan street protests
This week, in an attempt to address the economic meltdown, the Sudanese government announced dramatic austerity measures. Taxes are going up, government jobs are being cut, and the Sudanese pound is officially being devalued - as economists had long warned would have to happen. And fuel subsidies will gradually be ended.
This last measure has proved the most unpopular because it will affect the price of nearly everything in the economy, from transport to domestically produced food and other goods.
For the last few days, students in Khartoum have taken to the streets to protest against these austerity measures. Police have swiftly, and often violently, cracked down on the protests. Many opposition parties also oppose the austerity measures.
Raging against austerity measures and calling for an end to dictatorship, people across Sudan have staged 9 days of protests.
The police crackdown against protesters has been violent and has included the use of teargas and batons. And one reporter told CNN, "I was told a good number of activists have been detained from their homes before they even join the protest as a precautionary measure." Foreshadowing further violence to come, Reuters reports that "the state-linked Sudanese Media Center said in a text message that police had been ordered to 'immediately end the demonstrations and incidents of unrest according to the law.'"
Amnesty International has called for Sudan to end its crackdown on protesters. "The Sudanese government is showing zero tolerance for demonstrations and continues to deny the Sudanese people its right to peaceful assembly," said Paule Rigaud, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Africa.
* * *
Al Jazeera video: Sudan sees rise in anti-government protests
* * *
Agence France-Presse: Sudan protests are no 'Arab Spring', Bashir says
Anti-regime demonstrations have widened since [President Omar al-]Bashir on June 18 announced austerity measures including tax hikes and a phasing out of fuel subsidies to prop up the country's ailing finances. [...]
The protests over rising prices started with students outside the University of Khartoum. But they broadened to include a cross-section of the population in numerous locations throughout the capital, and several other parts of the country.
On Sunday, lawyers opposed to food price inflation took to the streets near the courthouse in El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state, where some were arrested, witnesses said.
Separately, about 100 students from a local university in El Obeid also protested and called for the downfall of the regime, while other demonstrators gathered in the town's main market, the witnesses said.
Police responded with tear gas and batons, they added, in what has become the standard reaction by security forces since demonstrations began on June 16 in Khartoum.
* * *
Harriet Martin writing for Al Jazeera: Rising prices ignite Sudan street protests
This week, in an attempt to address the economic meltdown, the Sudanese government announced dramatic austerity measures. Taxes are going up, government jobs are being cut, and the Sudanese pound is officially being devalued - as economists had long warned would have to happen. And fuel subsidies will gradually be ended.
This last measure has proved the most unpopular because it will affect the price of nearly everything in the economy, from transport to domestically produced food and other goods.
For the last few days, students in Khartoum have taken to the streets to protest against these austerity measures. Police have swiftly, and often violently, cracked down on the protests. Many opposition parties also oppose the austerity measures.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.