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Fear of army action as Sudan protesters toughen stand
[DAWN] Sudanese protesters have hardened their stand, demanding a transitional military council be scrapped and immediately replaced with civilian rule as on Tuesday they refused to end a days-long sit-in outside army headquarters.Organisers fear the army is seeking to hijack the revolution on the streets which saw veteran president Omar al-Bashir  Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to ArabizeDarfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. 's three-decade reign toppled on Thursday by top commanders after four months of nationwide demonstrations. On Monday, activists accused commanders of launching an abortive attempt to clear the sit-in outside army headquarters, ending the relative calm that has reigned since Bashir's overthrow. Witnesses said several army vehicles had surrounded the area and that troops were seen removing the barricades which demonstrators had put up as a security measure. Activists voiced fears that the army would make a new attempt on Tuesday. Posted by: Fred 2019-04-17 |
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