Sudan’s military overthrows president following months of protests

Sudan’s defence minister said on Thursday that President Omar al-Bashir had been taken into military custody, effectively announcing a military coup to end his 30-year rule, the Washington Post reported.

A two-year transition government administered by the military would take over, the constitution would be suspended, and a three-year state of emergency would be put in place, he added.

Sudan’s state media also reported that all political prisoners, including leaders of the protests that precipitated Bashir’s fall, were in the process of being released from jails around the country.

The announcement by Awad Ibn Auf, who is also Sudan’s vice president, came after four months of nationwide street protests sparked by price hikes on basic goods but also reflecting a deep-rooted desire for the replacement of his decades-old regime. Bashir is accused of crimes against humanity and genocide against his own people by the International Criminal Court.

The details of the apparent coup were unclear as was the future of a massive sit-in protest in the capital Khartoum, but Ibn Auf’s announcement included a curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., which amounts to an order the sit-in disband.

Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese revelled in Khartoum’s streets this week, singing, dancing, and waving banners imprinted with hopeful slogans calling for the rebuilding of their country. The protests were initially organised by the Sudanese Professionals Association, a group that drew many doctors, lawyers and students. By this week, a significant chunk of Khartoum’s population of around 2 million had joined.

The protesters demands included the creation of a civilian government and justice for protesters who had been killed.

“Revolutionaries: The sit-ins for all our groups of people continues until the objectives of the revolution are achieved,” was the message posted to Twitter from the Sudanese Professionals Association account on Thursday, before Ibn Auf’s announcement.