Protests over rising bread prices broke out across Sudan on Sunday, leading to the death of a high school pupil and the arrest of a prominent opposition leader as authorities confiscated newspapers and began to clamp down on growing unrest.



The demonstrations followed a similar protest in the south-eastern city of Sennar on Saturday after bread prices doubled following the government’s announcement late last month that it was eliminating subsidies in its 2018 budget.

In the south-eastern city of al-Damazin, police fired tear gas as about 400 demonstrators chanted “No, no to price rises!” Some people burned tyres, a local resident said.

The removal of subsidies is part of a package of austerity measures as the country struggles in the face of inflation running at about 33%, and an acute shortage of hard currency that has sapped import activity.

The measures in Sudan have sparked sporadic public protests in the past few years. Amnesty International says that up to 185 people may have been killed in 2013 when thousands took to the streets in demonstrations against fuel price increases.

Protests have been much smaller since then, and the main opposition parties have called for peaceful demonstrations against the bread price rises.

Sunday’s protests spread to downtown Khartoum as well as other cities in the south, Nyala and Geneina.

A high school pupil was killed and at least five others wounded in Geneina during the protests, according to a statement from the city’s governor. It did not give a reason for the death but said the incident would be investigated.

Authorities arrested Omar al-Dukair, the leader of one of the country’s largest opposition groups, the Sudanese Congress Party, members of the party said.

Authorities also blocked the sale of six daily newspapers carrying critical coverage of the subsidy cut and price rises. The ministry of interior could not be reached for comment.

Sudan has begun a series of economic reforms in line with International Monetary Fund recommendations to try to bolster the economy, months after a US decision to lift sanctions raised hopes that badly needed investment may return.