Sudan fuel unrest: Many die in Khartoum as riots continue 25 September 2013 Last updated at 21:29 At least 24 people have been killed in the Sudanese capital Khartoum in clashes sparked by cuts in fuel subsidies, a senior local doctor says. The director of Omdurman hospital told the BBC the victims died from gunshot wounds. Another 60 people were injured. Police had fired tear gas against protesters. Rioting broke out on Monday when the government lifted fuel subsidies in order to raise revenues. Sudan's economy has been in trouble since South Sudan ceded in 2011. Correspondents say the latest austerity measures have almost doubled fuel prices and hit the poor hardest. In a statement released in Arabic, the US embassy in Khartoum called for calm. "We call on all sides not to resort to force and to respect civil liberties and the right to peaceful assembly," the statement said. The embassy said it had received "regrettable reports of serious injuries and attacks on property during demonstrations which turned violent." Hotdogs and pizza The changes reportedly affected the price of cooking oil as well as petrol and diesel. The demonstrations began south of Khartoum and have now spread to the capital and other cities, with protesters calling for regime change. Officials have condemned the protests as acts of sabotage, describing them as "premeditated," according to the Associated Press news agency. Politicians, including President Omar al-Bashir, have defended the austerity drive, saying the only alternative would be economic collapse, local media said. They argued that Sudanese people had been spoiled by years of prosperity, thanks to the current government. The Sudan Tribune last week quoted President Omar al-Bashir as saying that no-one knew what a hotdog was before his rule, while a minister said they were responsible for the introduction of pizza to the country. Sudan had experienced an oil-fuelled economic boom until South Sudan became independent, taking 75% of its oil reserves. The government reduced some fuel subsidies in July 2012, prompting several weeks of protests and a security crackdown. However the country has so far avoided the unrest characteristic of recent uprisings in Arab countries such as neighbouring Egypt.