Sudan: Military Leadership Challenged by Ongoing Protests | Democracy Now!
In Sudan, the head of the newly installed military council resigned Friday, just one day after he was sworn in following the ouster of longtime President Omar al-Bashir. The ouster came after months of public protests demanding al-Bashir’s resignation. The military’s chief of staff also stepped down from his post Friday. Protesters celebrated the news and mounted calls for the creation of a civilian transitional council, rejecting the military’s proposal to lead a two-year pre-election transition period.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has called on Sudanese authorities to release anyone arrested for demonstrating against the government. It also called on Sudan to cooperate with the International Criminal Court , which issued an arrest warrant in 2005 for ousted leader al-Bashir over possible war crimes. Sudan’s military council said they would not hand over al-Bashir to the ICC but instead would put him on trial in Sudan. Local reports emerged Monday that other top officials from al-Bashir’s government were arrested by the military council and could also face prosecution.