Thousands of Sudanese demonstrate against subsidy removal

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Thousands of Sudanese took to the streets of the capital Khartoum on Wednesday against the lifting of subsidies on petrol and diesel that resulting in doubling prices.

Demonstrators waved banners calling for full civilian rule in the country and scrapping a power-sharing deal with the military, according to eyewitnesses.

Security forces used tear gas canisters to disperse demonstrators in parts of the capital, the witnesses said.

“Police fired tear gas against us outside the Khartoum teaching hospital and not far from the presidential palace,” Mohamed Sid Ahmed, a protester, told Anadolu Agency.

Fuel prices have doubled in the northeast African country after the government scrapped all fuel subsidies earlier this month, a move part of reforms agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

This was the latest in ongoing fuel price hikes since October 2020, when the government announced that it would gradually lift subsidies in line with the IMF-monitored reforms.

Sudan, a country with one of the highest inflation rates worldwide, also sharply devalued its currency this February.