Student protests against increased bread prices in Sudan enter third day
In Ed Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile state, the student demonstrations against a 250 per cent increase in bread prices continued for the third day in a row since Monday. The protesters were joined by students from El Roseires, which prompted the authorities to close schools indefinitely.
Violent protests against high fuel prices and shortages in Ed Damazin at the end of last year (social media)
In Ed Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile state, the student demonstrations against a 250 per cent increase in bread prices continued for the third day in a row since Monday. The protesters were joined by students from El Roseires, which prompted the authorities to close schools indefinitely.
Speaking to Radio Dabanga, Abdelaziz Souriba pointed to the continuation of violence from the security services against the demonstrators and explained that the decision to indefinitely close schools was taken by the state authorities.
Security forces confronted the demonstrators with violence, using rubber bullets and tear gas, a protestor told Radio Dabanga on Monday.
The students are protesting against a 250 per cent increase in bread prices. “We were already struggling to survive, but now life has become impossible” one student explained. “The price of a subsidised loaf of bread in Ed Damazin increased from SDG 2 to SDG 5, while the transportation tariff rose from SDG 30 to SDG 100,” he said.
As a result of the continuing inflation of the Sudanese currency, bread and fuel prizes have increased across the country. Yesterday, bread prices in South Kordofan increased and bakery owners in North Kordofan entered their third day on strike to demand better bread subsidies.
More unrest in Ed Damazin
In a separate act of protest, the Ed Damazin Teaching Hospital entered its second day of closure. The hospital administration announced that it had stopped working due to security breaches it had witnessed during the past days.
Employees told Radio Dabanga that the hospital is closed because members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fired shots inside the obstetrics and gynaecology department of the hospital after a disagreement involving a new-born child.
* USD 1 = SDG 55 at the time of posting, according to the daily middle US Dollar rate quoted by the CBoS. Effective foreign exchange rates however can vary widely on Sudan’s parallel market, where the greenback sold this morning for SDG 300.
Radio Dabanga’s editorial independence means that we can continue to provide factual updates about political developments to Sudanese and international actors, educate people about how to avoid outbreaks of infectious diseases, and provide a window to the world for those in all corners of Sudan. Support Radio Dabanga for as little as €2.50, the equivalent of a cup of coffee.
and then