Iran Press/ Africa: At least 10 people have been killed since demonstrations began on Wednesday after the government hiked the price of a loaf of bread from one Sudanese pound to three (about $0.02 to $0.06), exacerbating grievances over price rises, shortages of basic commodities and a cash crisis.
On Sunday, residents in Um Rawaba, 200km southwest of the capital Khartoum, told AFP news agency that some 600 people gathered in the market chanting, 'the people want the fall of the regime'.
Protesters burned tires and branches in the streets and attempted to storm a government building before being turned back by security officials, witnesses said. They are calling for President Omar al Bashir, who has been in power for three decades, to step down.
Police also fired tear gas on protesters in Khartoum after hundreds of protesters blocked a road in the center of the city late on Sunday.
Sudanese queued outside bakeries in the city, where vendors were refusing to sell more than 20 loaves of bread per person.
Doctors are also set to go on strike on Monday in the first of a series of work stoppages, announced by an umbrella coalition of professional unions.
There have also been calls by a number of independent trade and professional unions for a general strike on Wednesday.
A wave of unrest has rocked Sudan after the government hiked the price of a loaf of bread from one Sudanese pound to three
The country's economy has struggled to recover from the loss of three-quarters of its oil output - its main source of foreign currency - since South Sudan seceded in 2011, keeping most of the oilfields.
Sudan's economic woes have been exacerbated in the past few years, even as the United States lifted its 20 years old trade sanctions on the country in October 2017.
The US has kept Sudan on its list of state sponsors of terrorism, which prevents Khartoum from accessing much-needed financial aid from institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank.
Bread prices have more than tripled since the start of this year after a government decision to stop state-funded imports of wheat. 101/202
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Anti-government protests in Sudan, eight killed
