Masses want real change in sudan, algeria
Protests continue in both countries as people demand the ouster of the elite and military from positions of power
khartoum — Sudan’s new military rulers vowed on Friday to open a dialogue with all political groups on forming a civilian government as protesters railed against their seizure of power after ousting president Omar Al Bashir.
But the military council warned it would tolerate no breaches of security after protesters defied a nighttime curfew to keep up a sit-in demanding immediate civilian rule.
The head of the council’s political committee, Lieutenant General Omar Zain Al Abdeen, confirmed that Bashir, who had ruled the country for 30 years and was one of Africa’s longest serving leaders, remained in custody.
But he said the council would never extradite him, or any other Sudanese, despite a longstanding arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Bashir on charges of genocide and war crimes.
Protesters had held mass demonstrations for four months demanding Bashir’s overthrow, defying repeated deadly attempts to crush them by riot police and the feared intelligence services. — algiers — Heavy police deployment and repeated volleys of water cannon didn’t deter masses of Algerians from packing the streets of the capital on Friday, insisting that their revolution isn’t over just because the president stepped down.
The protest was overwhelmingly peaceful — like the overall 8-week-old movement — but tensions were higher than usual.
A larger-than-usual police deployment met protesters who converged on Algiers, lining boulevards and checking all vehicles entering the city.
Protest organisers encouraged Algerians to come out in Algiers and other cities to show that the departure last week of longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is not enough, that they want wholesale political change. Skirmishes broke out at the outset of the protest near the central post office, which has become a symbol of the pro-democracy movement.
Apparently seeking to avoid an escalation of violence, rows of riot police then suddenly started pulling back from the area, lowering their face shields and truncheons. —
khartoum — Sudan’s ruling military council on Friday promised the country would have a new civilian government, a day after the armed forces overthrew President Omar Al Bashir, but the proposal was immediately rejected by the main protest group.
The council, which is now running Sudan under Defence Minister Mohammed Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf, said it expects a pre-election transition period it announced on Thursday to last two years at most or much less if chaos can be avoided.
The council also announced that it would not extradite Bashir to face allegations of genocide at the international war crimes court. Instead he may go on trial in Sudan.
Friday’s announcement of a civilian government by the head of the military council’s political committee, General Omar Zain Al Abideen, appeared aimed at reassuring angry demonstrators who took to the streets to warn against imposing army rule after Bashir’s overthrow.
But the main protest group rejected the proposal, saying the military council was “not capable of creating change”. In a statement, the Sudanese Professionals Association restated its demand for power to be handed immediately to “a transitional civilian government”.
Abideen pledged that the military council would not interfere with a civilian government. However he said the defence and interior ministries would be under the council’s control.
The military council is headed by Ibn Auf, who was Bashir’s vice-president and defence minister and is among a handful of Sudanese commanders sanctioned by Washington for his role during the atrocities committed in the Darfur conflict.
Abideen said the military council had no solutions to Sudan’s crisis and these would come from the protesters, adding that it plans to hold a dialogue with them. “We are the protectors of the demands of the people,” he said. “We are not greedy for power.”
“We will not dictate anything to the people. We want to create an atmosphere to manage a peaceful
We are not greedy for power. We will not dictate anything to the people. We want to create an atmosphere to manage a peaceful dialogue
Gen Omar Zain Al Abideen,
Head of political committee
dialogue,” Abideen said. “Today, we will hold a dialogue with the political entities to prepare a climate for dialogue.”
The council said it did not invite Bashir’s National Congress Party to join the dialogue because “it is responsible for what happened”.
It pledged to work with the new government to solve Sudan’s economic problems but warned protesters that the army would not tolerate unrest. “Protest is guaranteed, but it is forbidden to infringe on the freedom of others. We will be very decisive with whoever closes a road or a
bridge,” Abideen said.
Earlier on Friday, thousands of demonstrators camped outside the defence ministry to push for a civilian government, defying a curfew and calling for mass Friday prayers.
The demonstrators oppose the decision to set up a transitional military council and have vowed to continue protests until a civilian government is established.
At the defence ministry compound, large tents were put up and people brought food and handed out water as the crowd swelled. Ahmed Al Sadek, a 39-year-old trader, said he had not slept at his home since the sit-in began on Saturday.
Activists wearing yellow vests controlled traffic around the compound on Friday and managed foot traffic to and from the sit-in, a witness said. They also blocked a major bridge in central Khartoum.
Bashir, 75, had faced 16 weeks of demonstrations sparked by rising food costs, high unemployment and growing repression during his three decades of rule.