Turkey urges citizens not to travel to Sudan

Turkey urged its citizens not travel to Sudan due to the latest protests there, mainly erupted in the capital Khartoum and its urban areas, an official statement said late Friday. "It has been observed that the demonstrations taking place in several cities in Sudan, particularly in Khartoum, have taken a turn that affects the security of our citizens in that country," the statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, calling on its citizens to avoid all unnecessary travel to Sudan. The statement also urged the Turkish citizens who are in Sudan to take every precaution step for their personal safety. Sudan's economy has been suffering from difficulties after losing two thirds of oil resources following the separation with South Sudan in 2011. The Khartoum government on Monday announced a fuel price hike as part of a package of economic reforms aiming at reviving the country's economy. A wave of protests erupted on Tuesday at various areas of Khartoum, with hundreds of people demonstrating at Omdurman, and others blocking the main road linking Khartoum to southern areas of the capital and burning a number of gas stations. The Sudanese police said Thursday that 29 people, including civilians and policemen, had been killed over the past three days during the protests in Khartoum and Gezira.