Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will visit Qatar, state media in the Gulf state said on Monday, in what would be his first trip abroad since widespread protests began against his rule. Bashir would arrive in Doha on Tuesday and meet the country’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the following day, according to the Qatar News Agency. Anti-government protests against Bahir’s iron-fisted rule began on December 19 after his government’s decision to triple the price of bread. They are the biggest challenge yet to the authority of Bashir, who swept to power in 1989 in an Islamist-backed coup. The Gulf state has mediated between Khartoum and rebel groups involved in the Darfur conflict.

Source: Punch January 21, 2019 21:11 UTC