Sudanese police fired teargas on Saturday to disperse some 400 demonstrators who marched through the city of Sennar to protest against a hike in bread prices, eyewitnesses told Reuters. Bread prices in Sudan have doubled since the government eliminated subsidies this week under its 2018 budget. The price of a loaf of bread rose from 0.5 Sudanese pounds (7 cents) to 1 pound, the Bakeries Union said on Friday, after the prices of wheat flour rose. "We were protesting today against the rise in bread prices and we call on the government to scrap it," said a protestor in Sennar, about 300 km (185 miles) south of Khartoum. The country's main opposition parties have called for peaceful protests against the price hikes, and crowds gathered outside bakeries in Khartoum on Friday, expressing frustration at the government's move.

Source: The Star January 07, 2018 07:18 UTC