Sudan's interior ministry said Friday that 600 people had been arrested for their involvement in anti-government demonstrations that have rocked the country this week.

The people were "arrested for participating in acts of vandalism and will be judged next week," a ministry statement said.

Thousands poured into the streets of Khartoum and its twin city Omdurman on Friday, the fifth day of protests sparked by the scrapping of fuel subsidies that have turned into an expression of anti-government sentiment, and police used tear gas to disperse them.

New demonstrations broke out Friday evening in eastern districts of the capital, with police again firing tear gas and charging demonstrators, an AFP correspondent said.