Anti-government protests swept the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Friday where two weeks of street rallies there and elsewhere in the country are keeping pressure on President Omar al-Bashir. The protests took place in at least eight different districts of Khartoum and its twin cities of Omdurman and Bahary, with thousands taking to the streets after the noon prayers chanting "freedom, peace, justice." In Omdurman, protesters rallied around opposition leader Sadeq al-Mahdi. Police used tear gas to break up that demonstration and a separate protest in north Khartoum, witnesses said. Security forces had deployed earlier in the day across key squares in both cities ahead of expected unrest. There were also protests in the railway city of Atbara, a traditional bastion of dissent and one of several cities where anti-government demonstrations began December 19, initially over rising prices and shortages but which quickly shifted to calls for Bashir to step down. Kassala and the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, both in eastern Sudan, and al-Gazeera region south of Khartoum also witnessed protests Friday. At least 40 people are reported to have been killed in the protests so far. The government has acknowledged the death of 19 people and Bashir this week ordered an investigation into the use of lethal force against protesters. Fridays protests were called by the countrys largest opposition blocs as part of a series, with the next ones slated for Sunday and Wednesday. Sudan is facing an acute foreign exchange crisis and soaring inflation despite the United States lifting a two-decade trade embargo in 2017. Inflation is running at 70 percent and the Sudanese pound has plunged in value, while shortages of bread and fuel have regularly hit several cities.