AU called to look into Sudanese unrest

PARIS, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The African Union is called on to respond to a crisis in Sudan that erupted after deadly September demonstrations, an international rights consortium said.

The International Federation for Human Rights, known by its French initials FIDH, said it's been able to confirm at least 170 died and as many as 800 people were arrested during a Sudanese crackdown on demonstrators.

Demonstrations erupted last week when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir cut fuel subsidies, a move that caused a sharp price increase.

FIDH President Karim Lahidji said it was time for the international community to focus more closely on Sudan's rights record.

"The African Union must take the lead and respond to the current crisis with the gravity it requires, by urgently sending a commission of inquiry," he said in a statement Tuesday.

The Sudan Tribune, an independent newspaper, said protesters were calling for the end of the Bashir administration during protests last week. The president denied the government was responsible for the deaths of any protests, the report added. The Tribune said the government blamed unnamed "outside parties" for the violence.