Sudan’s ruling military council says it wants to “sit with the protesters” and listen to them, one day after the army ousted Omar al-Bashir following mass demonstrations in the capital, Khartoum.
In a press conference broadcast on state television, Omar Zein Abideen, a senior army officer and member of the military committee, said Sudan’s new rulers had no ambition to hold onto power and had intervened in response to the wishes of the people.
“We have come with no solutions. We are here to guide the country forward and act as a tool for change … We will go sit with the protestors and we hear their ambitions and have them as part of the dialogue,” Abideen said.
An association of Sudanese doctors said that 26 people had died and more than 150 were injured – 15 critically since Saturday, when a sit-in started in front of the military headquarters in Khartoum. Five of the dead were soldiers who were killed protecting the demonstrators during attacks by pro-Bashir militia.
Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf, the former defence minister, who was sworn in as the head of the council on Thursday, said it would be in charge for two years, until elections could be held. Auf also announced a three-month state of emergency and an overnight curfew. The statement was rejected by protest leaders, who vowed to carry on campaigning to bring about “the end to the regime” and force through genuine reforms.
Thousands of people defied the restrictions overnight and protesters were on the streets of Khartoum again on Friday morning.
The Alliance for Freedom and Change group said the new rulers had kept “the same faces”, and urged demonstrators “to continue their sit-in in front of army headquarters and across all regions and in the streets”.
Alaa Salah, who has become an icon of the protest movement after a video of her leading demonstrators in chants went viral, said: “Change will not happen with Bashir’s entire regime hoodwinking Sudanese civilians through a military coup.”
The mood in the crowd appeared festive on Friday morning, with protesters playing music and chanting pro-democracy slogans.
There were reports of smaller demonstrations in other towns and cities elsewhere in Sudan.
Washington said Khartoum should “exercise restraint and allow space for civilian participation within the government”. The state department spokesman Robert Palladino told reporters: “The Sudanese people should determine who leads them and their future and the Sudanese people have been clear and are demanding a civilian-led transition.”
The EU urged the army to carry out a “swift” handover to civilian rule.
Jeremy Hunt, the UK foreign secretary, said: “A military council ruling for two years is not the answer. We need to see a swift move to an inclusive, representative, civilian leadership. And we need to ensure there’s no more violence.”
Auf said on Thursday that political detainees would be released and authorities issued a statement lifting strict censorship of the media.
A number of pro-democracy activists held in prisons and police stations have now been freed, though it is unclear if a new policy is being systematically implemented.
Bashir was one of Africa’s longest-serving presidents. He is wanted by the international criminal court (ICC) on charges of genocide and war crimes for his brutal campaign against insurgents in Darfur which caused huge suffering to civilians.
The UN says 300,000 people have died in the conflict and 2.7 million have fled their homes.
Abideen said the former ruler was in custody but would not be handed over to the ICC. This would be “an ugly mark on Sudan … even rebels carrying weapons, we won’t extradite them”.
Bashir’s long rule has left Sudan’s economy in a dire state, with shortages of cash, soaring inflation and very high levels of unemployment.
Auf is a controversial figure himself, blacklisted by Washington for his role as the army’s head of military intelligence and security during the Darfur conflict. He has been defence minister since 2015 and was promoted in February by Bashir to the role of first vice-president.