Sudanese police fired tear gas Sunday at crowds of anti-government protesters in Khartoum and the western war-torn region of Darfur after organizers called for nationwide rallies against President Omar al-Bashir.

The demonstrations in Darfur were the first of their kind since unrest erupted last month over a government decision to triple the price of bread.

The protests have since swiftly escalated into nationwide rallies widely seen as the biggest threat to Bashir’s rule in his three decades in power.

Protesters who took to the streets in the capital’s Bahari district chanting “peace, peace” and “revolution is the people’s choice” were quickly confronted by riot police, witnesses told AFP.

Source: AFP