Date: Jan 30, 2019 Source: The Daily Star Sudan security chief orders release of jailed protesters KHARTOUM: Sudan’s security chief has ordered the release of people detained during weeks of anti-government protests, the Information Ministry said Tuesday, as demonstrations continued in several cities. The ministry was confirming reports by activists that Salah Abdallah Mohamed Saleh, the head of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service, visited a prison in the capital Khartoum and said arrested protesters would be freed. No further details were available. Hundreds of protesters, activists and opposition figures have been arrested since protests began to spread across Sudan on Dec. 19. The demonstrations, triggered by a worsening economic crisis, have called for an end to the rule of President Omar al-Bashir who has been in power since 1989. Tuesday’s demonstrations, called by unions and opposition activists, fell on the anniversary of the 2005 killing of protesters in Port Sudan during an earlier period of demonstrations against Bashir’s long rule. Protests also took place there. The latest rallies were the largest in several days, as Sudanese have taken to demonstrating in local squares and neighborhoods sometimes blocked off with cars or makeshift barricades. Organizers announced seven processions in areas of Khartoum and Omdurman, with demonstrators gathering at intersections shouting, “just fall,” and calling for a “people’s revolution.” Police fired tear gas in some areas to disperse the crowds, activists said. “It may take months, but I’m confident we will succeed,” said Reem, a 25-year-old housewife facing off against clouds of tear gas in Omdurman. “The demonstrations have revived unions and organized us ... and mobilized villages as well,” she said by telephone, asking that her last name not be used for fear of reprisal. Videos distributed by activists showed festive rallies in Khartoum and more urgent chanting in Omdurman, where they say security forces used tear gas to repulse demonstrators approaching the parliament building. Activists spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. The opposition Umma Party said in a statement that security forces surrounded its building in Omdurman and arrested several employees. It denounced the move but said it would not be dissuaded from “working to overthrow the regime and build a new Sudan.” The current wave of protests began in opposition to surging prices and a failing economy, but quickly shifted to calls for an end to Bashir’s rule. A devaluation of the currency in October pushed up prices, but lifting state subsidies on bread last month proved to be the final stroke, sparking unrest. A cash crunch also led to long lines at ATMs and limits on cash withdrawals. Similarly, a fuel shortage meant hourslong waits at gas stations.