At least 24 people have been killed in Sudan since protests began on Dec. 19 over the country’s deteriorating economy, the country's public officer said on Saturday.

A total of 131 people were also injured during the protests, Amir Mohamed Ibrahim said at a news conference.

Sudan has been rocked by protests since mid-December, with demonstrators decrying the government’s seeming inability to rein in rampant inflation and acute commodity shortages.

A nation of 40 million people, Sudan has struggled to recover from the loss of three quarters of its oil output – its main source of foreign currency – when South Sudan seceded in 2011. (Anadolu)