Sudanese security forces fire tear gas at protesters in Khartoum: witnesses

Sudanese security forces fired tear gas at hundreds of demonstrators in central Khartoum on Monday, Reuters witnesses said, as authorities stepped up their presence at key sites after a call for protests on the eve of Sudan's independence day anniversary

Some security officers were positioned on rooftops in the heart of the capital and armoured vehicles with machine guns were stationed along the main streets.

Rising prices, shortages of basic commodities and a cash crisis have driven protesters to the streets across Sudan to demonstrate against President Omar al-Bashir, who took power in a military coup backed by Islamists in 1989.