Sudan police disperse protest in Khartoum

KHARTOUM

Sudanese police on Sunday dispersed a protest demanding the resignation of President Omar al-Bashir in central Khartoum, according to eyewitnesses.

Demonstrators gathered in street as part of a protest called by the Sudanese Professionals Association to march toward the presidential palace to demand al-Bashir .

Witnesses said Sudanese police fired teargas canisters to disperse the protesters.

Another protest was staged by professors of the University of Khartoum, the country’s oldest university to protest economic woes in the country.

The Sudanese Professional Association said in a statement a number of professors were arrested by security forces during the rally.

Several Sudanese states have been rocked by protests since last month over difficult economic conditions and the government’s failure to remedy acute commodity shortages. At least 19 people have been killed in the protests.

Last week, al-Bashir, who has been in power since 1989, pledged to carry out economic reforms amid ongoing calls by the opposition to protest.

A nation of 40 million, Sudan has struggled to recover from the loss of three quarters of its oil output -- its main source of foreign currency -- when South Sudan seceded in 2011.