Sudanese protest in USA, Europe as Khartoum investigates critics

Cities in the USA and Europe saw Sudanese in the diaspora protesting on Saturday against the violence used by Khartoum on demonstrators across the country over the past week.Sudan’s capital and other cities have been the stage of protests against the decision by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to lift fuel subsidies, which led to sharp price increases in the country.Unarmed protesters have been reportedly met with violence by authorities, and the latest figures from Friday indicate that 210 people had been killed in the previous nine days of demonstrations.  Most recent reports that reached Radio Dabanga indicate that more than 1,000 people had been arrested.The violence used by the NCP during demonstrations has been heavily criticized by Sudanese in the diaspora who staged protests in front of the White House in Washington DC, Stockholm, and Dublin. They were calling for freedom and justice and the fall of the regime (see photos below).InvestigationOn Friday, the NCP announced it would start investigating party members who signed a memo calling for cancelling recent cuts in subsidies and put a halt to the bloody crackdown on protesters, Sudan Tribune reports.National Assembly speaker Ibrahim Al Tahir will be in charge of the investigation committee to probe those whose names appeared in the petition that was circulated publicly.”Such memos undermine the unity of the National Congress Party and serve the agenda of those who work against it”, the head of NCP organizational sector, Hamid Siddeeg told Sudan News Agency (SUNA) on Friday.The memo allegedly criticised Khartoum’s decision to lift subsidies on fuel. Its signatories, who include many lawmakers, claim the parliament had not been consulted over these measures.It was stated in the memo, however, that “alternatives (to lifting subsidies) were proposed by individuals, experts and political forces but the substitutes were given no consideration and the government insisted on implementing the measures as they are indifferent to their impact and the extent of citizens’ ability to endure them.”Al Tahir, who co-chairs the investigation committee with Oil Minister Awad Al Jaz, will submit his recommendations in one week.Related: More than 10 demonstrations in Sudan on ‘Angry Friday’ (4 October 2013)Washington DC, USAStockholm, SwedenDublin, Ireland