Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir quits after anti-government protests
Consultations are underway to appoint an interim military council to run the country
Khartoum — President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan with an iron fist for 30 years, was overthrown on Thursday in a coup by the armed forces, which announced a two-year period of military rule to be followed by elections. In an address on state television, defence minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf said Bashir was under arrest in a “safe place” and a military council is now running the country. Seated on a gold-upholstered armchair, Auf announced a three-month state of emergency, a nationwide ceasefire, and the suspension of the constitution. He also said Sudan’s airspace would be closed for 24 hours and border crossings shut until further notice. Sudanese sources told Reuters that Bashir was at the presidential residence under “heavy guard”. A son of Sadiq al-Mahdi, the head of the country’s main opposition National Umma Party, told al-Hadath TV that Bashir was being held with “a number of leaders of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group”. Bashir has been indicted by the Interna...
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