Sudan riot police beat and teargas price hike protesters

Khartoum: Sudanese security forces fired tear gas and beat demonstrators with sticks on Wednesday in a crackdown on protests against price increases for basic goods, after thwarting similar protests a week ago.

Riot police closed ranks in Khartoum's main streets to block any gathering of protesters, who vowed they would not stop until their democratic right to protest peacefully was granted.

"Today we intend to deliver our statement to the presidential palace," said Mariam Al Mahdi, spokesperson of one of the largest Opposition parties, the Umma Party.

Lines of riot police carrying metal batons blocked the area where the protest was due to take place and plain-clothes security men hit the crowd with wooden sticks. Dozens of protest organisers had been arrested in the past few days.

Mariam said senior police and state security officials had called Opposition leadership to their headquarters on Tuesday on the pretext of planning the route of the protest.

"But it was a trick. Instead they threatened us that they would hit us and kill us and the blood would run in the streets if we went ahead," she added. State security officials were not available to comment.

Khartoum recently raised prices of goods like petrol and sugar to fill a hole in the 2006 budget.