Arrests as tension rises over sale of square in Sudan’s capital

On Friday afternoon dozens of residents of the Imtidad El Daraja El Talta district in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum took to the streets in a demonstration denouncing the sale of the district’s only public square to an investor.

The demonstrators chanted slogans demanding cancellation of the sale of the square to give it back to the people of the district.

Security forces and police intervened, using tear gas to disperse the demonstration.

One of the protesters told Radio Dabanga that the demonstration began after Friday prayers, but a force using 20 vehicles intervened and dispersed the demonstration using tear gas.

He reported that engineer El Hadi Atta El Seed, and Abdelhalim Mohammed Abdelaziz were detained during the protest, adding that the police still surrounded the district squares with six vehicles.

Digging works

As reported by Radio Dabanga last week, tension has been high in the district since police clamped-down on residents who refuse to give up the land to investors, tried to resist digging works. The police have maintained a high presence around the district.