Sudan summons Egypt envoy over detained student as protesters rally

Sudan on Sunday summoned Cairo's envoy to Khartoum in protest over the detention of a Sudanese student by Egyptian authorities during a crackdown on rare rallies against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The anti-Sisi protests first erupted on September 20 after viral videos posted by an exiled Egyptian businessman accusing the president and the military of corruption tapped into simmering discontent over economic woes in Egypt.

Rights groups say more than 2,000 people, including lawyers, activists, professors and journalists, have since been detained in a wave of arrests.

"The Egyptian ambassador was informed about the concern and worry raised by Waleed Abdulrahman's family over his detention," the Sudanese foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also protested that Cairo was not allowing the Sudanese embassy there to meet Abdulrahman, the statement said.

"We have asked the Egyptian authorities to give Waleed Abdulrahman all his legal rights," the ministry said.

On Sunday, dozens of Sudanese demonstrators staged a rally outside the foreign ministry in Khartoum, calling for the release of Abdulrahman.

"We will bring back Waleed!" chanted demonstrators, some holding his photograph.

Sisi has downplayed the protests in Egypt, saying there was "no reason for concern".

Elected president in 2014, a year after overthrowing predecessor Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood, Sisi is seen as one of the most authoritarian figures in the Middle East.

But his supporters see him as a bulwark against the insecurity and political disintegration unleashed across the region by the Arab Spring protests.

In Sudan, a months-long protest movement led to the military ousting long time ruler Omar al-Bashir on April 11.