Authorities in Sudan on
Wednesday arrested four opposition leaders including veteran politician Sadiq
Youssef as part of a crackdown on protests, the country’s opposition coalition
says.
The capital, Khartoum has seen a series of small but rare
protests over the past week amid rising prices and government austerity
measures that have included price hikes on electricity and fuel as well as
import restrictions.
Sudan’s economy has struggled since South Sudan seceded
in 2011, taking with it three-quarters of the country’s oil output, a key
source of foreign currency and government revenue.
Youssef
is one of the country’s most recognised politicians and a leader of the
National Consensus Forces, a political coalition that opposes Sudanese
President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.
Bashir,
who took power in a 1989 coup, is accused of masterminding genocide, crimes
against humanity and war crimes during Sudan’s Darfur conflict.
He is
wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court, which issued a warrant
for his arrest in 2009. He had denied any wrongdoing.
National
Consensus Forces spokesman Mohammed Dia al-Din was also arrested, along with
Manzar Abu al-Maali and Tareq Abdel Mageed from the opposition coalition.
-Africanews
AEP
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