Sudan holds a street party after autocratic president steps down
● Delay in further news prompts fears that military wants control
Tens of thousands of Sudanese marched toward the centre of the capital Khartoum yesterday, cheering, singing and dancing in celebration as two senior officials said the military had forced long-time autocratic president Omar albashir to step down after 30 years in power.
The circumstances of Mr Bashir’s apparent removal after months of intensifying protests against his rule were not clear, however, and his whereabouts were unknown.
In an announcement on state TV, the military told the nation to expect an “important statement” soon.
Word of Mr Bashir’s removal comes just over a week after Algeria’s president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in power for 20 years, resigned in response to similar demonstrations. The mass protests also bear striking resemblances to the popular uprisings in 2011 that swept across several Arab nations and ousted leaders in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Yemen.
The developments raised speculation that, behind the scenes, the military aimed to install one of its one in place of Mr Bashir. Organisers of the protests that have drawn tens of thousands into the streets reject that, seeing it as a way for the armed forces to keep the power that it has held under Mr Bashir. Instead, they demand a civilian transitional government.
One main organiser, the Sudanese Professionals Association, said the protest leaders were in talks with the military over the transition. Sarah Abdel-jaleel, a spokeswoman for the association, said they will not accept a military coup and insist on an “unconditional stepping down” of Mr Bashir and his regime.
Meanwhile, the movement called on protesters to keep up the pressure by continuing their main sit-in outside
the military’s headquarters in Khartoum. “We are not leaving. We urge the revolutionaries not to leave the sit-in,” the association said, warning against attempts to “reproduce the old regime.”
Two officials in high positions in Sudan’s government and military, said the military was in talks about a transitional government after forcing Mr Bashir to step down.
In an apparent concession to a demand of the protesters, the National Security and Intelligence Service said in a statetried
ment that all political detainees would be released. It did not indicate when the release would take place.
Sudan’s protests initially erupted last December with rallies against a worsening economy, but quickly escalated into calls for an end to embattled Mr Bashir’s rule. They gained new momentum last week after Mr Bouteflika’s resignation.
As the Khartoum sit-in surged in size, the government responded with an increased crackdown. Security forces repeatedly to break up the sit-in since Saturday, in violence that killed at least 22 people.
Early yesterday morning, the military deployed to secure key sites and installations around Khartoum, witnesses said. Armoured vehicles and tanks were parked in the streets and near bridges over the Nile River, as well as in the vicinity of the military headquarters where the sit-in is taking place.
There were also unconfirmed reports that the airport in the Sudanese capital had been closed.
Ahead of the expected army statement, Sudanese radio played military marches and patriotic music. State TV ceased regular broadcasts, showing only the statement promising news and urging the public to “wait for it”.
Thousands waited at the sit-in as crowds of protesters moved through the city converging on the site.
But the hours without an army statement raised fears among protesters that the military was seeking to keep its control.