Sudan's military lifts curfew amid calls for civilian government

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Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan's Transitional Military Council, announced at a press conference on Saturday that the council has lifted the curfew imposed on Thursday, and promised that all detainees held during recent protests will be released.

Burhan said the Transitional Military Council invites political parties, the opposition and NGOs to deal with the current situation "with cooperation and understanding," adding that a civilian government will be formed after consultations.

The transitional period will last for a maximum of two years, he noted.

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Earlier on Saturday, the head of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) Salah Ghosh submitted his resignation, according to a statement by the Transitional Military Council.

"The chief of the Transitional Military Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has accepted the resignation of... the chief of NISS," the Transitional Military Council said.

Ghosh had overseen a sweeping crackdown led by NISS agents against protesters taking part in four months of mass demonstrations that led up to the toppling of President Omar al-Bashir in a palace coup by the army on Thursday. Thousands of protesters, opposition activists and journalists were arrested.

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Ghosh's resignation comes one day after Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf stepped down as head of the Transitional Military Council amid protests that demand a swift handover to civilian rule. Ibn Auf named Burhan as his successor.

Sudan's opposition Freedom and Change Alliance urged the new leadership of the Transitional Military Council to transfer power to a transitional civilian government on Friday, calling on the protesters to continue their sit-in before the army's general headquarters.

The Transitional Military Council has promised that the new government will be composed of civilians. It also said Bashir would not be handed to the International Criminal Court for trial.

Then Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir delivers a speech inside Parliament in Khartoum, Sudan, April 1, 2019. /Reuters Photo

Since December 19 last year, Sudan has been witnessing popular protests over the deteriorating economic conditions and price hikes of basic commodities.

China said it believes that "Sudan has the ability to handle internal affairs and safeguard the peace and stability of the country."

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: A Sudanese demonstrator uses a traditional drum to celebrate after the Defense Minister Awad Ibn Auf stepped down as head of the country's Transitional Military Council in Khartoum, Sudan, April 12, 2019. /Reuters Photo)

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