Pro-democracy activists have kept up a campaign of street demonstrations against the army's October 25 coup, despite a crackdown that has seen at least 48 people die in protest-related violence, according to the independent Doctors' Committee.
Army, police and paramilitary patrols criss-crossed Khartoum's streets, while shipping containers blocked the Nile bridges that connect the capital with its northern suburbs and its twin city Omdurman.
The bridges were blocked off for the last protests on December 26, when tens of thousands took to the streets.
But for Thursday's planned protests, new surveillance cameras had been installed on the major thoroughfares along which demonstrators were due to march.
For the first time, authorities also cut all phone lines, both international and domestic. Web monitoring group NetBlocks reported mobile internet services were cut from mid-morning Thursday.
Activists use the internet for organising demonstrations and broadcasting live footage of the rallies.
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