Sudanese Police Disperse Protests against Price Hikes in Al-Qadarif

Demonstrators chant slogans as they march along the street during anti-government protests in Khartoum, Sudan, Dec. 25, 2018. (Reuters)
Demonstrators chant slogans as they march along the street during anti-government protests in Khartoum, Sudan, Dec. 25, 2018. (Reuters)
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Sudanese Police Disperse Protests against Price Hikes in Al-Qadarif

Demonstrators chant slogans as they march along the street during anti-government protests in Khartoum, Sudan, Dec. 25, 2018. (Reuters)
Demonstrators chant slogans as they march along the street during anti-government protests in Khartoum, Sudan, Dec. 25, 2018. (Reuters)

Tensions have increased in Sudan’s eastern key agricultural state of Al-Qadarif in wake of protests in the past two days over the rising cost of living.

On Thursday, students held demonstrations denouncing the hike in prices, scarcity of basic commodities, especially fuel and bread, and frequent electricity cuts.

Protests first broke out in Al-Qadarif’s main market, where demonstrators broke into shops and blocked streets.

Images shared on social media showed burnt car tires and dozens of angry protesters breaking objects and storming shops.

The police fired tear gas and used rubber bullets when protesters were seen looting and attacking government institutions and a number of banks.

An eyewitness told Asharq Al-Awsat that following hit-and-run attacks and chases, security forces were able to control the situation.

They deployed massive forces in the city center and dispersed the protesters, he added.

An official statement by the state of Al-Qadarif condemned the “acts of rioting” when protesters blocked roads, burned tires and set up barricades.

The police had to intervene to protect the property.

“Forces maintained security with high professionalism, which allowed them to control the situation,” the statement added, threatening to take legal measures against “saboteurs.”

Meanwhile, farmers in Al-Qadarif are preparing to organize a sit-in on Saturday to press for the sacking of the state governor if he does not respond to their demands.

Protesters have denounced the policies adopted by the government in their state, which is one of the largest agricultural regions in Sudan.

Deputy Chairman of the Farmers’ Committee Ahmed Abdul Rahim al-Awad told Asharq Al-Awsat that farmers want to be consulted by the authorities in agricultural policies.

He said the farmers want the authorities to recognize their legitimate committee.

Awad explained that the state government policies have called for doubling fees on crops and imposing a large hike on agricultural project fees. So far in 2021, these fees have amounted to 117,000 pounds to each 1,000 feddans. The figure had previously stood at 16,000 pounds.

Moreover, he said the state governor refuses to meet with the farmers and recognize their demands, forcing them to escalate their actions and demand his dismissal.

The farmers held a press conference to explain their case, vowing that they will escalate their actions and increase popular pressure, possibly even resorting to an open-ended sit-in and shutting down the city.

Awad denied that the farmers were politically-motivated, saying that their demands are legitimate and related to agricultural affairs in the state.



Gaza Rescuers Say Seven Killed in Israeli Air Strikes 

21 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Palestinians hose down hotspots as they clean up the residue of tents destroyed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City. (Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
21 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Palestinians hose down hotspots as they clean up the residue of tents destroyed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City. (Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
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Gaza Rescuers Say Seven Killed in Israeli Air Strikes 

21 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Palestinians hose down hotspots as they clean up the residue of tents destroyed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City. (Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
21 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Palestinians hose down hotspots as they clean up the residue of tents destroyed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City. (Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)

Gaza's civil defense agency said Tuesday that seven people were killed in fresh Israeli air strikes across the Hamas-run territory.

"The occupation launched violent air strikes on Gaza City and the towns of Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and Khan Younis, killing seven civilians," civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.

Four people were killed in the Al-Rimal area near Gaza City, two in Al-Sabra west of Gaza City and one in Khan Younis.

"The occupation also destroyed more than 10 homes east of Gaza City and in Rafah," he added.

The Israeli military, which did not immediately comment, has intensified its aerial bombardments and expanded its ground operations in the Gaza Strip since it resumed its offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory on March 18.

Gaza's civil defense agency on Monday accused the Israeli military of carrying out "summary executions" in the killing of 15 rescue workers last month, rejecting the findings of an internal probe by the army.

At least 1,691 people have been killed in Gaza since the military resumed its offensive, bringing the total death toll since the war erupted to at least 51,065, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Hamas's attack on Israel that ignited the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.