Sudan authorities detain daughter of opposition figure

Sudanese security forces on Monday detained the daughter of prominent opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi, leader of Sudan's National Umma Party.

Deputy party leader Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi told Anadolu Agency that security forces had arrested Zainab Sadiq al-Mahdi on Monday while she had been taking part in protests in Khartoum.

She did not provide any additional details.

Sudanese officials, meanwhile, were not immediately available for comment.

Earlier Monday, thousands of Sudanese staged a mass demonstration in Khartoum amid calls for President Omar al-Bashir to step down amid steadily worsening economic conditions.

According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent at the scene, security forces used teargas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators.

Within the last two weeks, several Sudanese states have been rocked by protest amid rampant inflation and acute commodity shortages.

Sudanese officials say at least 19 people have been killed in the demonstrations, which have erupted intermittently since mid-December.

Opposition groups, for their part, put the death toll at closer to 40.

Authorities have imposed a state of emergency in a number of states, while government officials have accused Israel of conspiring with rebel groups to destabilize the country.

A nation of 40 million, Sudan has struggled to recover from the loss of three quarters of its oil production -- its main source of foreign currency -- when South Sudan seceded in 2011.