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SUDAN-UNREST-DEMONSTRATION
Protesters mass outside Sudan army complex
KHARTOUM, April 19, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Thousands of protesters massed
outside Sudan’s army complex in Khartoum on Friday, piling pressure on the
country’s new military rulers to swiftly transfer power to a civilian
administration, witnesses said.
The army on April 11 ousted Sudan’s longtime leader Omar al-Bashir after a
months-long protest movement.
A military council which took power has so far resisted calls from
protesters to quickly bring in a civilian adminstration.
On Thursday, exactly four months since protests started, roads leading to
the sit-in area were packed with crowds flocking to the army headquarters.
Activists mobilised demonstrators through social media to keep up the
pressure for replacing the military council, now led by General Abdel Fattah
al-Burhan.
“Power to civilians, power to civilians,” protesters chanted through
Thursday night.
“I won’t leave until Burhan transfers power to a civilian government,” said
Wali Aldeen, who has camped outside the complex since the day Bashir was
ousted.
Activists have called for large crowds to gather after the weekly Muslim
prayers, as on previous Fridays.
Protests first broke out on December 19 in response to the tripling of
bread prices, swiftly turning into nationwide rallies against Bashir’s three-
decade rule.
After his ouster, protesters demonstrated against General Awad Ibn Ouf who
took over as the first head of the military council, insisting he was a close
aide of Bashir and a top regime figure.
Ibn Ouf stepped down in less than 24 hours and was replaced by Burhan, who
so far has appeased protesters by lifting a night-time curfew and vowing to
“uproot” the Bashir regime.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1416 hrs