Three dead after Sudan protest as crowds cheer Bashir at rival rally

“This gathering sends a message to those who think that Sudan will become like other countries that have been destroyed,” Bashir told a cheering crowd. “We will stop anyone who destroys our properties.”

Crowds chanted “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest) and “Yes, yes, Bashir, we will follow you” at the rally, where the president was accompanied by his wife and a group of ministers.

“Those who tried to destroy Sudan… put conditions on us to solve our problems, I tell them that our dignity is more than the price of dollars,” Bashir said in an apparent dig at Washington, which had imposed a trade embargo on Khartoum in 1997.

The embargo was lifted in October 2017, but Sudanese officials including Bashir have continued to blame Washington for the country’s economic woes.

– Sudan slams foreign critics –

Dressed in a khaki shirt and trousers and waving his trademark cane, a smiling Bashir greeted the crowd as men and women whistled and waved flags.

“We are with our leader because our brothers want to destroy our country, but we will save it,” a woman supporter told AFP.

More than 800 protesters, opposition leaders, activists and journalists have been arrested since the unrest began, officials say.

On Wednesday, Sudan slammed Britain, Canada, Norway and the United States for a joint statement expressing concern at the situation in the country.

The four countries had urged Khartoum to investigate the deaths of protesters, warning that Khartoum’s actions would “have an impact” on its relations with their governments.

“The ministry of foreign affairs rejects and condemns this biased statement that is far from reality,” the Sudanese ministry said.

“Sudan is committed to freedom of expression and peaceful demonstrations.”