Sudan Protests IV

Wednesday morning and the fourth day of protests in Khartoum started with a sand storm and the NISS arrests of activists Najla Sid Ahmed and Mohd Hassan Alim (Boshi) at 7 AM. Their whereabouts unknown. Najla's house was raided and Boshi's mother was injured, Girifna reports. AFP correspondent Simon Martelli, however, was released after having spent a day in custody for covering the demonstrations.

Protests have been reported at University of Khartoum's medical campus at Al Qasr Avenue, Blue Nile University in Sinnar, Jumhoreya street (video below) and Burri.

Update: Apart from other universities in Khartoum, others outside of the capital have joined the protests; Shendi, Obeid and Gezira are among these. In all protests, NCP students (National Congress Party) have joined the security forces with metal rods, machetes, knives and swords, Girifna says. More and more civilians are reported to join the students in the protests.

During early evening, security forces arrested Dr. Kamil Idris, a former presidential candidate and a human rights activist.

Update: Protesters are gathering at an Umma party in Omdurman, where anti-government chants and the word "thawra" (revolution) can be heard. Najla Sid Ahmed is reported to have been released and have joined the party where she bravely continues to document events.

Last update for today: Reports of the resignation of government of state of Khartoum. Professor Mamoun Himida put forth the resignation letter saying that they can't continue due to the government's austerity measures. More about this tomorrow.

More on the story here:

- New York Times,  Sudan: Protests Erupt Over Austerity Measures

- Bloomberg (Salma El Wardany, @s_elwardany), Sudanese Police Fire Tear Gas On Fourth Day Of Protests

- Reuters, Police, protesters clash again in Sudanese capital

- IRIN Africa, SUDAN: Austerity package sparks protests

- Aljazeera: Police clash with protesters in Sudan capital 

- US Department of State, Crackdown on Demonstrators in Sudan
- Girifna Media, Sudan Revolts: a situation analysis

Sudan Protests II

Students at the University of Khartoum entered the second day of demonstrations, chanting "people want the regime down" and social media has run warm while waiting to see if this is "the real deal" or not. This is not the first time (and probably not the last) that students demonstrate against the government. Last December authorities closed down Khartoum University temporarily after more than a week of protests against the government.

The inflation in the country is currently running at 30 percent, but some economists claim it can be as high as 40, and the Sudanese people have been building up their anger against rising food prices and the government's plans to cut fuel subsidies.

President Omar Hassan al-Bashir addressed parliament around lunch, Monday, saying that the government had decided to "raise taxation and remove fuel subsidies "step by step." Furthermore, hundreds of federal and state positions will be axed and officials's salaries will be cut. Needless to say, people weren't too happy about the announcement. More on the announcement here.

Riot police has continued to fire tear gas and use batons against the protesters. There has been reports of both rubber bullets and live ammunition being fired, but the reports are yet unconfirmed. Students answered the brutality by throwing stones at the police and an unconfirmed number of protesters have been detained and taken away in trucks to police stations. Some claim they've been brought to torture chambers. As always with social media, it's difficult to know what's fact and what is rumors.

The security presence has been heavy all over the city centre and while the students at Khartoum University have had a hard time during the day (police has raided the female dorms at the campus) tweets now claim that Omdurman Ahliya University (link currently down) has joined the protests during the afternoon and that protesters are cutting off a road (video) near the Ministry of Defence.

Update: In early evening 30-40 youths have reportedly been beaten and arrested as they attended a meeting at the headquarters of New Democratic Forces Movement (HAQ) in Khartoum 2. The young activists, may of them Girifna members, were taken into trucks owned by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) and there whereabouts are unknown at the moment. Tweeps are calling for lawyers to help out.

Twitter:

@girifna

@MimzicalMimz 

@S_Elwardany

@Shamarat

#السودان_ينتفض

Photo from Twitter.

Cairo Protests - A Tourist in Tahrir

To make it easier, I made a list of the videos and photos I shot during the first two weeks in Tahrir Square. The days that are uncovered were simply because of cowardice. Journalists, i.e. foreigners with cameras, were being targeted so I chose to be (somewhat) safe rather than sorry.

• January 25th
• January 28th
• January 29th
• January 30th
• January Photos
• The People
• February 1st
• February 5th
• February Photos

I wish I could have been there until Mubarak stepped down, but things went out of hand. Although the pro-democracy protesters in Tahrir was and would defend me if necessary I no longer felt I could continue reporting without putting myself in too much risk. Instead I got to witness the reactions among the locals in a a café in Hurghada. The relief and happiness was of course high and I'll be forever greatful to have witnessed history unfold. This is a once in a lifetime experience that I will talk about until I'm on my deathbed, that's for sure!

Cairo Protests - Part V

January 26th, 2011: Second day of demonstrations in Cairo. Up until now the masses and police have stayed away from "my" place of downtown, but as we exited our building in the early evening of Wednesday, a couple of hundered demonstrators made their way towards Tahrir Square through our street. The group was chanting protest verses and was peaceful but angry. Police were present, but as far as I could see they mostly kept their distance from the demonstrators.

Rumours say that military are moving in in Suez, and the Egyptians have today suffered from shut down mobile nets and landlines as well as social networks like Facebook and Twitter along with some newspaper sites. In addition to at least four people that got killed during the clashes today, it is said that two more (a police and a protestor) died today but it's unsure if it was a car accident or something more directly associated with the demonstrations.

The atmosphere among the people in Cairo is tense; most people I've spoken to say that this is a very bad situation, although some of them aren't even sure what this is all about. The Guardian is continuosly, minute by minute, reporting about the situation in Egypt. Rumours say that reporters and other people who document the demonstrations by photo or camera have been rounded up by the police. Some have been driven out in the desert and many have been beaten. The police presence have been high during the whole day and it seems like they're taking no chances after Tuesday's events. All kinds of demonstrations have been prohibited, but many brave souls have defied it all over the country.

Will post a video or two later during the day.

Cairo Protests - Part III

January 25th, 2011: As police forces block the main streets leading to Tahrir Square (Midan Tahrir), demonstrators move to side streets where they're also met with force. In this video a group breaks through the barricade.

Cairo Protests - Part I

January 25th, 2011: The first demonstrations begun. We live in central Cairo and it's been hard to avoid the riots. It feels surreal. We're in the middle of something huge; I'm actually witnessing a revolution that will be read of in the history books in the future.

Massive police forces gathered in Tahrir Square (Midan Tahrir) in central Cairo in the early afternoon on Tuesday and was egged into confrontation of thousands of Cairo demonstrators on the other side of the square. As I film the event, armoured trucks started to shoot with waterguns at the protesters.