President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan in autocratic style for 30 years, was overthrown and arrested in a coup by the armed forces on Thursday, but protesters took to the streets demanding the military hand over power to civilians.
The ouster of Bashir, 75, followed months of demonstrations against his rule.
In an address on state television, Defence Minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf, announced a two-year period of military rule to be followed by presidential elections.
He said Bashir was being detained in a "safe place" and a military council would now run the country. He did not say who would head it.
Ibn Auf announced a state of emergency, a nationwide ceasefire and the suspension of the constitution. Seated on a gold-upholstered armchair, he said Sudan's airspace would be closed for 24 hours and border crossings shut until further notice.
The main organiser of protests against Bashir, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), rejected the minister's plans. It called on protesters to maintain a sit-in outside the defence ministry that began on Saturday.
Shortly afterwards, thousands of demonstrators packed the streets of central Khartoum, their mood turning from jubilation at Bashir's expected departure to anger at the announcement of a military-led transition, a Reuters witness said.
"Fall, again!" many chanted, adapting an earlier anti-Bashir slogan of "Fall, that's all!".
Sudanese sources told Reuters that Bashir was at the presidential residence under "heavy guard". A son of Sadiq al-Mahdi, the head of the main opposition Umma Party, told al-Hadath TV that Bashir was being held with "a number of leaders of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group".
Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague and is facing an arrest warrant over allegations of genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region during an insurgency that began in 2003 and led to death of an estimated 300,000 people.
Despite the arrest warrant Bashir defied the court by visiting several ICC member states. Diplomatic rows broke out when he went to South Africa in 2015 and Jordan in 2017 and both failed to arrest him.
The downfall of Bashir follows the toppling this month of Algerian strongman Abdelaziz Bouteflika, also following mass protests after two decades in power.
MILITARY RULE AGAIN?
Names of Bashir's possible successors that have been circulating include the defence minister, an ex-military intelligence chief, also an Islamist, and former army chief of staff Emad al-Din Adawi.
Adawi is said to be favoured by regional neighbours at odds with Bashir over his Islamist leanings.
Omar Saleh Sennar, a senior SPA member, said the group expected to negotiate with the military over a transfer of power.
"We will only accept a transitional civilian government," Sennar told Reuters.
Kamal Omar, 38, another demonstrator, said: "We will continue our sit-in until we prevail".
Ibn Auf announced the release of all political prisoners, and images circulated of freed detainees joining the protests.
Troops were deployed in strategic areas of the capital and also stormed the headquarters of Bashir's Islamic Movement, the main component of the ruling National Congress Party.
In the eastern cities of Port Sudan and Kassala, protesters attacked the offices of Sudan's intelligence and security service, witnesses said.
FATE UNCLEAR
Bashir, a former paratrooper who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1989, has been a divisive figure who has managed his way through one internal crisis after another while withstanding attempts by the West to weaken him.
Sudan has suffered prolonged periods of isolation since 1993, when the United States added Bashir’s government to its list of terrorism sponsors for harbouring Islamist militants. Washington followed up with sanctions four years later.
A long civil war with southern separatists ended in 2005 and South Sudan became an independent country in 2011.
Since December, Sudan has been rocked by persistent protests sparked by the government's attempt to raise the price of bread, and an economic crisis that has led to fuel and cash shortages
The unrest escalated since the weekend, when thousands of demonstrators began camping out outside the defence ministry compound, where Bashir's residence is located.
Clashes erupted between soldiers trying to protect the protesters and intelligence and security personnel trying to disperse them. Around 20 people were killed since the sit-in began.
Activists abroad pressed for Sudan to turn over Bashir to the International Criminal Court.
"Victims of the gravest crimes in Darfur should not have to wait any longer for justice” said Jehanne Henry, associate director at the Africa division of Human Rights Watch.
Reuters
Thu Apr 11 2019
Omar al-Bashir addresses the National Dialogue Committee meeting at the Presidential Palace in Khartoum, Sudan April 5, 2019. - REUTERS
Tiada perincian, kerangka jelas - Radzi Jidin
Kerajaan perlu memberi perincian khusus mengenai butiran dalam Belanjawan 2025 kerana tiada kerangka jelas mengenai pelaksaan inisiatif yang diumumkan pada Jumaat itu.
Belanjawan yang angkat martabat dan junjung hak rakyat
Timbalan Perdana Menteri II, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof berkata, fokus utama belanjawan adalah kesejahteraan rakyat dengan tumpuan kepada perlindungan golongan rentan, menambah baik prasarana asas dan menangani ketirisan.
Belanjawan sentuh semua rakyat, rapat jurang Sabah dan Sarawak
Timbalan Perdana Menteri I itu berkata, belanjawan kali ini juga tidak meminggirkan masyarakat desa malah merapatkan jurang antara Semenanjung dengan Sabah dan Sarawak.
Platform menyeluruh bagi negara hadapi cabaran tahun depan
Belanjawan 2025 juga dilihat cuba mengimbangi keperluan rakyat terutama dalam mendepani isu kos sara hidup dengan menaikkan peruntukan Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) dan Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) kepada RM13 bilion.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Jumaat, 18 Oktober 2024.
Kanak-kanak Gaza terperangkap dalam kitaran kesakitan - UNICEF
Hari demi hari kita melihat kesan ngeri serangan udara harian dan operasi ketenteraan ke atas kanak-kanak Palestin.
Tumpuan Sabtu – 19 Oktober 2024
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan di Astro AWANI.
ConsiderThis: Budget 2025 (Part 2) — Balancing Progress & Prudence?
Budget 2025 was tabled in Dewan Rakyat today, and now the crucial evaluation begins. Does #Belanjawan2025 successfully balance progress and prudence? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Danial Rahman, CEO of Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI), and Doris Liew, Economist & Assistant Research Manager at IDEAS Malaysia's Public Finance Unit.
Pasukan pengaman disasarkan secara sengaja di selatan Lubnan - Jurucakap UNIFIL
"Kedudukan kami telah berulang kali diserang di Lubnan, meletakkan pasukan pengaman dalam bahaya."
Lapangan terbang Khartoum umum beroperasi semula
Orang ramai dilihat mula berbaris di luar syarikat penerbangan Sudan ketika berita mengenainya tersebar.
Bekas PM Sudan meninggal dunia akibat COVID-19
Bekas Perdana Menteri (PM) Sudan, Sadiq al-Mahdi meninggal dunia akibat komplikasi berkaitan COVID-19 di usia 84 tahun, pada Khamis.
Mesir raih sokongan keluarkan Sudan daripada senarai penaja keganasan
Menteri Luar Mesir, Sameh Shoukry berkata ia sedang bekerjasama dengan Washington dan negara yang lain untuk menjayakan usaha itu.
5 perkara anda perlu tahu tentang krisis politik di Sudan
Omar dijangka dihadapkan ke mahkamah minggu hadapan atas tuduhan salah guna kuasa, rasuah serta pemilikan mata wang asing.
Presiden Sudan pecat kabinet, lantik PM baharu
Situasi ekonomi perlu diselesaikan dan untuk itu, Presiden Bashir memutuskan memecat kerajaan di semua peringkat.