Al Arabiya News Channel has said it is holding Sudanese security officials responsible for the safety and well-being of its correspondent Abdulaziz Ibrahim after he was arrested while covering economic protests in the capital Khartoum.

Ibrahim was detained by security forces on Tuesday while covering demonstrations that centered against soaring bread prices near a presidential palace in Khartoum.

Anti-riot police fired tear gas and beat protesters with batons  as hundreds of Sudanese demonstrated, an AFP correspondent said.

Bread prices have more than doubled after a jump in the cost of flour due to dwindling wheat supplies, after the government decided to stop importing grain and allow private companies to do so.

The protest was the biggest in Khartoum since demonstrations erupted in some parts of the country earlier this month following the price increase.

On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters poured into the streets near a presidential palace in central Khartoum after the opposition Communist Party of Sudan called for an anti-government rally.

“No, no to hunger! No, no to high prices!” protesters shouted near the palace.

Police fired tear gas and hit protesters with batons as they tried to break up the protest.

Source: Alarabiya