Bashir declares year-long state of emergency
Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir said the ‘demands of our people for better living conditions are lawful’
KHARTOUM: Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir has declared a year-long state of emergency, dissolving his cabinet and local governments throughout the country.
In a televised address on Friday, Bashir also called on Sudan’s parliament to postpone constitutional amendments that would allow him to run for another term in a presidential election in 2020.
Acknowledging the popular protests that have rocked his administration in recent months, the 75-year-old said the “demands of our people for better living conditions are lawful”.
“I will not stop calling for all parties to sit at the dialogue table,” Bashir said, adding he would remain on the “side of the youth who represent the future of Sudan”.
Bashir’s Friday address followed months of near-daily protests against his rule, with thousands of people taking to the streets across the country since December 19 calling for him to stand down after nearly three decades in office.
While the protests were initially set off by the rising cost of bread and fuel in the north of Sudan, they quickly grew into a demand for more political freedom and an end to Bashir’s rule.
The Sudanese leader’s term ends in 2020 and he has repeatedly promised over the years not to make new runs for the presidency. Without amending the country’s constitution, he cannot run for a third term.
His announcement came days after a parliamentary committee tasked with amending the constitution to scrap Sudan’s presidential term limit cancelled its meetings.
The Sudanese Professional Association, which is spearheading the country’s demonstrations, warned of any measures that could “turn against” the demands of the Sudanese people, and vowed that it will respond with more escalation in street protests.
“The demands of this revolution are crystal clear,” the statement said, “the regime and its head must step down.”