Photo: Leadership

Queuing for fuel: Sudan's economy has been grappling with soaring inflation and a depreciating currency since the country lost three quarters of its oil production with the secession of South Sudan in July last year.

ANHRI denounced the Sudanese authorities' use of force to disperse demonstrators over two days in Khartoum, in addition to the rising withholding and confiscation of newspapers. " It is the government's responsibility to protect the demonstrators. We don't want to witness blood shedding of other people for peacefully expressing their opinion," said ANHRI.

News agencies and activists accounts on the social network websites have recorded and conveyed the dispersion of a big Khartoum University students demonstration yesterday 17/6/2012 with tear gas and batons by the police.

They were demonstrating after the parties and the Sudanese opposition groups' call to protest against the high rates of inflation in an unprecedented way, and the government's plans, which lifted the subsidy on fuel prices, which contributed to the high prices.

ANHRI expressed a deep concern at the authorities' use of force in suppressing a genuine constitutional right which is the right of assembly and peaceful demonstration.

Several eye witnesses in many newspapers talked about seeing a number of thugs who carry knives to intimidate the demonstrators. ANHRI described this as "a serious matter" and "a sign of the authorities intention to strongly suppress the protests in case of expansion."

ANHRI stressed on the Sudanese authorities' responsibility to protect the demonstrators and to ensure the right to demonstrate and express their opinion.

ANHRI demanded the Sudanese government not to follow the bloody example of the Arab governments n the suppression of protests during the Arab spring, which resulted in hundreds and thousands of killed and injured victims. Also it demands the government to immediately retreat from blocking and confiscating newspapers.