Police surround focal points for anti-government protests Sudan

Sudanese police and security forces surrounded the focal points for anti-government protests before the end of Friday prayers and ‘attacked’ demonstrators with tear gas and rubber bullets.

The largest protest took place at the Al Ansar mosque in Wad Nubawi, Omdurman. Abdel Rahman Ahmed Hassan, Director of the Umma Party Information Office, estimated the number of protesters present between the 3000 and 4000 people. Security forces and police blocked the roads leading to the Al Ansar mosque and surrounded the courtyard before the end of Friday prayers. As protesters left the mosque to demonstrate they were forced back inside by police firing tear gas and rubber bullets.
A witness told Radio Dabanga the Imam grabbed the microphone and appealed to the protesters to help the injured and bring them to safety.

Security forces arrested many people, but there are no exact numbers. A witness told Radio Dabanga that Ismail Adam Ali, member of the Political Bureau of the Umma Party and Ibrahim Al Sheikh, President of Congress Party of Sudan, were arrested by security forces.

Three female students were arrested at the University of Khartoum: Shaima Abud, Wefaq Mohammed and Hawa Suleiman. A witness told Radio Dabanga security forces tried to enter the female dormitories of the University and arrested the three women, suspecting them of planning to participate in the Wad Nubawi demonstrations. As a result of the arrests protests erupted in the female dormitories with students chanting slogans demanding the fall of the regime.

Bahri
In the suburb of Bahri in Khartoum North, demonstrations broke out around the Ali Al Marghani Mosque. Protesters shouted “Down, down with the military rule,” and “No to high prices!”, prompting a fierce crackdown from riot police officers.

Al Obeid
In Al Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, protests erupted in the three mosques after Friday prayers. Police and security forces focused on the Al Azhar mosque, the largest of the three located in the market place, and used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowds.

Journalists arrested and pictures confiscated
The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) arrested and temporarily detained an Al Jazeera news channel correspondent, the journalist Imad Abdel Hadi and a correspondent of the Al Arabiya channel. All of the detained journalists were released after pictures and footage had been confiscated one of the correspondents told Radio Dabanga. He said security beat, insulted and yelled at them.

The Hague
In the Netherlands demonstrations took place in front of the Sudanese Embassy in the Hague on Friday. Protesters carried signs condemning the crackdown of the protests by Sudanese authorities and they chanted slogans demanding the resignation of the government of Al Bashir.