KHARTOUM, Sudan, July 2 (UPI) -- Police and security forces arrested about 1,000 people, torturing some, during a two-week crackdown on anti-government protests in Sudan, activist groups said.
Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets and used batons to quell demonstrations after Friday prayers in Khartoum and other cities, activists said.
Demonstrators have protested the government's implementation of austerity measures, including cuts to popular fuel subsidies.
Protesters called for an end to the regime of President Omar al-Bashir and his ruling National Congress Party, which they say is corrupt, the Sudan Tribune reported Monday.
Sudanese authorities have called the protesters "rioters" and "saboteurs," the Tribune said.
Activist groups charge that some of the detainees have been tortured.
Among those detained was blogger Usamah Mohammed, who has been incommunicado since his arrest June 22, the Tribune said.
Activists said security forces targeted journalists covering the unrest, citing last week's deportation of an Egyptian correspondent.
Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have called on the Sudanese government to end the crackdown and release all detainees.
Sudan has had a dramatic drop in revenue since South Sudan shut down oil production and stopped using northern pipelines after it became independent in July 2011.
