Sudanese protest council’s appointees

CAIRO — Thousands of Sudanese rallied Thursday in the capital, Khartoum, in the largest protest since the country’s transitional government was announced, demanding the chief of the judiciary and general prosecutor be removed because of alleged ties to ousted autocratic former President Omar al-Bashir.

Sudan’s Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, the umbrella coalition representing different pro-democracy parties and groups, called for a “million-man march” to pressure the joint civilian-military Sovereign Council — formed last month as part of a power-sharing deal between protesters and the generals — to appoint judges known for their competence as well as political impartiality.

The generals had previously dismissed nominations put forward by pro-democracy protesters for Sudan’s two top judicial posts.

The Sovereign Council, comprised of five military members and six civilians, is expected to rule the country along with a Cabinet and a legislative body for a little more than three years. Last week, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, a longtime economist, announced the makeup of his Cabinet after several weeks of deliberations.

In Thursday’s rallies, protesters waving Sudanese flags chanted: “The people want the martyr to be avenged,” in reference to those killed during a recent crackdown. They also raised banners reading: “The appointment of new judiciary chief and public prosecutor is a revolutionary demand.”