Hundreds of Sudanese protesters took to the streets of major cities on Wednesday to demand the government’s resignation over IMF-backed economic reforms seen as too harsh, AFP correspondents said. The protests erupted a day after the International Monetary Fund approved a $2.5 billion loan and debt relief deal that will see Sudan’s external debt reduced by some $50 billion. Public discontent has mounted over the reforms that slashed subsidies on petrol and diesel, more than doubling their price. “We are on the right track,” the premier said in a televised speech after the IMF announcement of the debt relief deal. Ahead of the protests, Sudanese authorities said they arrested 79 people suspected of links to Bashir’s regime for allegedly planning violence.

Source: The Guardian June 30, 2021 14:26 UTC