Price hike protesters beaten by police officers (video)

Videos circulating on social media or sent to Radio Dabanga show the use of force by Khartoum's riot police against peaceful demonstrators in the street.

The demonstrators in the videos are marching or chanting slogans against the recent price increases following the implementation of the new annual budget. In the first video, a man is beaten by riot police with batons.

In the second video, marching women and men are violently dispersed by riot police with batons.

Experts have criticised the budget for relying mainly on levies and taxes to cover its deficit, the allocation of a high percentage to the army, security service and paramilitary forces – just as in former years.

In the government's attempt to halt the steadily increasing hard currency rate at the black market, it completely cut its wheat subsidies and left the import of this basic commodity to private companies. The price of wheat flour increased with by 233 per cent. Overall the prices of the main consumer goods immediately doubled or even tripled, resulting from the the customs rate of the Dollar which the government raised from SDG 6.7 to SDG 18.

Follow Dabanga Sudan for ongoing coverage on the price hike protests. More videos can be found at our Facebook channel.