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Sudan fuel unrest: Many die in Khartoum as riots continue | Sudan fuel unrest: Many die in Khartoum as riots continue |
(35 minutes later) | |
At least 24 people have been killed in the Sudanese capital Khartoum in clashes sparked by cuts in fuel subsidies, medical sources say. | |
The director of Omdurman hospital told the BBC his staff had seen 21 bodies. Three others died at another hospital. | |
Earlier police fired tear gas at protesters. The unrest began on Monday when the government lifted fuel subsidies to raise revenue. | |
Sudan's economy has been in trouble since South Sudan ceded in 2011. | Sudan's economy has been in trouble since South Sudan ceded in 2011. |
Osama Mortada of Omdurman hospital told the BBC's Arabic Service that 21 people sent to his hospital had died, and that about 80 were injured. | |
"All have gunshot wounds, some in the chest," he said. | |
Also on Wednesday, sources at Khartoum Bahari hospital told the BBC that the facility had received three bodies "shot by live bullets earlier today". | |
Groups of anti-government demonstrators set fire to a university building and several petrol stations in Khartoum. | |
They blocked a main road to the airport and burnt a number of cars, witnesses say. | |
Correspondents say the Sudanese government's latest austerity measures have almost doubled fuel prices and hit the poor hardest. | |
Sudan had experienced an oil-fuelled economic boom until South Sudan became independent, taking 75% of its oil reserves. | |
The government reduced some fuel subsidies in July 2012, prompting several weeks of protests and a security crackdown. | |
Plea for calm | |
The demonstrations began south of Khartoum and have now spread to the capital and other cities. | |
Officials have condemned the protests as acts of sabotage, describing them as "premeditated", according to the Associated Press news agency. | |
Politicians, including President Omar al-Bashir, have defended the austerity drive, saying the only alternative would be economic collapse, local media said. | |
In a statement released in Arabic, the US embassy in Khartoum called for calm. | In a statement released in Arabic, the US embassy in Khartoum called for calm. |
"We call on all sides not to resort to force and to respect civil liberties and the right to peaceful assembly," the statement said. | "We call on all sides not to resort to force and to respect civil liberties and the right to peaceful assembly," the statement said. |
The embassy said it had received "regrettable reports of serious injuries and attacks on property during demonstrations which turned violent". | The embassy said it had received "regrettable reports of serious injuries and attacks on property during demonstrations which turned violent". |