Bashir will not budge:’ Nationwide protests in Sudan take aim at the president

By Yousra Elbagir and Max Bearak

KHARTOUM, Sudan — Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Sudan on Sunday to demand the resignation of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, whose nearly 30 years in power have been punctuated by civil war, ethnic conflict and a crumbling economy. 

The protests were the latest — and among the largest — in more than two weeks of demonstrations in the North African country. Security forces have responded with tear gas and live rounds, witnesses said. Backed by some of the president’s former allies and even members of his ruling party, the protests present a serious threat to Bashir’s leadership.

The protests began when Bashir’s government announced a raft of price hikes to cope with spiraling inflation in mid-December, and thousands formed spontaneous, leaderless crowds — and not just in the capital, Khartoum, where past anti-government movements have briefly surged before being