Sudan ruling party HQ torched in bread price protests: witnesses

Sudanese have taken to the streets to protest against the rising price of bread (AFP Photo/ASHRAF SHAZLY)

Khartoum (AFP) - Hundreds of Sudanese took to the streets of three cities Wednesday to protest against the rising price of bread, with demonstrators setting fire to a ruling party headquarters, witnesses said.

Against a backdrop of growing economic woes in the country, demonstrations were staged in Port Sudan, Atbra and Nhoud, witnesses told AFP on the phone from the three cities.

The protests were sparked by the government's decision to raise the price of bread from one Sudanese pound to three (from about two to six US cents).

Witnesses were unable to say whether or not there had been any injuries or arrests during the demonstrations.

In Atbra, around 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Khartoum, angry protesters set fire to the headquarters of the National Congress Party of President Omar al-Bashir, said resident Ahmad Mohammed Hussein.

The authorities responded by announcing they had imposed a curfew in Atbra from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.

"The protest began with the arrival of students in the city centre who were joined by residents," said resident Mubarak Abdelrahim.

The police "tried to disperse them with truncheons but they continued to demonstrate by setting fire to tyres," he added.

In Port Sudan, around 500 people, most of them students, marched in the streets chanting against the high cost of living, said Hussein Idriss, a resident in the Red Sea port city.

Shops had closed after the authorities decided to hike the price of bread, he added.

Similar demonstrations were held in Nhoud, with students marching and shouting "No to hunger", witnesses in the city said.

The bread shortage has hit Sudan's cities for the past three weeks, including the capital Khartoum.

In the past year, the cost of some commodities has more than doubled in Sudan, where inflation is running at close to 70 percent and the pound has plunged in value.

Sporadic protests broke out in January this year over the rising cost of food, but they were soon brought under control with the arrest of opposition leaders and activists.

Sudan had significant oil reserves until South Sudan gained independence in 2011, and the north-south split saw the country lose three quarters of its reserves.