Minister of Tourism,Mohamed Abdel Rahman Hassabo of Sudansaid, Thursday,that it is impossibleto compare the country's recentprotestsagainstausterity measures to other recentprotestsinthe Middle East. Hassabo said, "There is no'ArabSpring'in Sudan".He addedthat these are "normal"protestsand thathe doubtsthat theSudanesewill be inspired by coupsin EgyptandLibya.
At the beginning of the week,an adviser to President Omar Al-Bashirsaidthat "Zionist institutions" were behind theprotests againsthis regime.