Police fired tear gas as anti-government protests resumed in Sudan | New



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Crowds of protesters chanted "freedom, freedom" as riot police fired tear gas at anti-government rallies in the Sudanese capital and twin town of Omdurman on Monday.

Dozens of protesters took to the streets of two districts of Khartoum and Omdurman, on the other side of the Nile.

Riot police quickly moved to disperse the demonstrations, firing tear gas at one of the rallies in the capital, witnesses said.

Even when police fired tear gas, protesters maintained the rallying cry "Freedom, Peace, Justice" of an anti-government campaign that broke out in December.

The protests took place after activists called for new rallies this week against President Omar al-Bashir's government.

Minister of Defense speaks

Defense Minister Awad Ibnouf on Monday called for the inclusion of youth in the dialogue.

Ibnouf did not respond directly to the protesters' concerns, but said the situation in the country was showing a schism between young and old.

The situation "requires intergenerational communication, equitable solutions to the problems of young people and the realization of their reasonable ambition," he said.

Recent events "have shown the need to reshape the political entities, parties and armed movements of the political scene with a state of mind different from that of before," he added at the meeting. A briefing with military officers, according to a statement from the ministry.

The minister did not specify what type of restructuring should take place and there was no immediate response from the opposition parties who supported the protests.

Ibnouf Comments come in a few days after the army chief of staff, General Kamal Abdelmarouf, said that the army will not allow the Sudanese state to s & # 39; Collapse or sink into chaos "amid ongoing protests.

Bashing Bashir

Deadly demonstrations have rocked the African country since December after Khartoum, short of money, cut a vital subsidy for bread.

The demonstrations quickly degenerated into anti-government demonstrations in towns and villages, protestors calling on Bashir to withdraw.

According to officials, 30 people died in protests nationwide, but according to Human Rights Watch, at least 51 people were killed.

Bashir remained provocative, addressing Loyalists at rallies across the country and seeking support from his regional allies.

On Sunday, he organized three rallies in the state of North Kordofan, where he pledged to support rural growth by undertaking new infrastructure projects.

Bashir and other senior Sudanese officials have repeatedly said that the government can only be changed by elections.

The veteran leader, who took power as a result of a coup in 1989, plans to run for a third presidential term at the polls scheduled for next year.

The protest campaign led by the Sudanese Professionals' Association is considered to be Bashir's biggest challenge in three decades. Young men and women ask for his resignation at daily events.

At one of his rallies Sunday in North Kordofan, Bashir appealed to the country's youth to help him build a new Sudan.

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