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Demonstrators Clash With Police During Austerity Protests in Sudan


Protesters clashed with police in Sudan's capital Khartoum Saturday as demonstrations against spending cuts in Sudan continue into a second week.

Security forces have been using tear gas and batons to break up the demonstrations which have spread into several neighborhoods. Reports say some people have been arrested.

Activists are trying to spark an "Arab Spring"-style uprising against the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, for imposing austerity measures to reduce its $2.4 billion budget deficit.

Opposition leaders and youth activists have called for more demonstrations to press for greater democracy and measures to control price rises. Protesters are also complaining about unemployment and official corruption.

Sudan's economy has declined since the secession of South Sudan a year ago.

The new nation took about three-quarters of the country's oil output, which was previously Sudan's main source of revenues.

Sudan and South Sudan have yet to agree on a deal regulating how the landlocked South would pay Sudan fees to export crude via pipelines and other facilities on its territory.

Rights group Amnesty International on Friday called on Khartoum to end the crackdown on protesters and journalists who are covering the demonstrations.
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