Students in protest against Sudan power dam

Dozens of students held a protest assembly at Jackson Square in the heart of Khartoum to show solidarity with the month-long Manasir protest.

The Manasir, an ethnic group that feels disadvantaged by the Merowe Hydropower Project, have been engaged in a sit-in protest for a month in Al Damer, a town 300km from Khartoum.

Sudanese twitter users were quick to pick up the protest.

AhmedDZA was the first to tweet about the protests. Similarly, Arch_Asaad tweeted some popular chants saying "a strong message for Al-Bashir, our rights; or change".

One of the protesters told the Africa Review that some of those involved were arrested.

"When the police attacked the protesters, many were beaten. I was beaten on my legs and they arrested some people," he said.

Mohammed Al Nazeer, a law student at Nileen University and the President of the Manasir Union, was among those arrested.

After the police used tear gas and beat protesters in an attempt to disperse them, some regrouped in front of Al Nileen University until they were also teargassed and beaten.

Manasir youth stated that they would continue protesting and bring their cause to Khartoum.

The Merowe Hyrdropower Project or Merowe dam was built on the fourth cataract of the Nile between 2003 and 2009. In 2008, 22 villages inhabited by the Manasir were flooded and people forced out of their home.