Regional powers stick with Bashir as Sudan protests mount

KHARTOUM: As angry protests pile pressure on Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to step down, key powers are standing by his regime to ensure stability in a strife-torn region, analysts say.

Demonstrations that erupted in the provinces last month after the government tripled the price of bread have escalated into nationwide protests that analysts say pose the biggest challenge to Bashir since he took power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.

But despite bloodshed that Sudanese authorities say has claimed 22 lives, outside players ranging from Gulf rivals Qatar and Saudi Arabia to major powers China, Russia and the United States all see an interest in the 75-year-old staying at the helm.

"All camps in the region are at each other´s throat, but somehow they agree on Bashir," said Abdelwahab al-Affendi, author and an academic at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.

"They seem to favour continuity. They believe that any other alternative might not be favourable to them and to the region."