Iraq News Now

Sudan's ruling military council on Friday

promised a new civilian government, a day after the armed forces overthrew

President Omar al-Bashir, but the gesture was immediately rejected by

mistrustful protest leaders.

The council, which is now running Sudan under

Defence Minister Awad Ibn Auf, said it expects a pre-election transition period

it announced on Thursday to last two years at most, or much less if chaos can

be avoided.

The council also announced that it would not

extradite Bashir to face accusations of genocide at the international war

crimes court. Instead he might go on trial in Sudan.

Friday's announcement of a future civilian

government by the head of the military council's political committee, General

Omar Zain al-Abideen, appeared aimed at reassuring mistrustful demonstrators

who went back into the streets to warn against imposing army rule after

Bashir's ouster.

But the main protest group dismissed the

pledge, saying the military council was "not capable of creating

change". In a statement, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA)

restated its demand for power to be handed immediately to "a transitional

civilian government".

Bashir, 75, himself seized power in a 1989

military coup. He had faced 16 weeks of demonstrations sparked by rising food

costs, high unemployment and increasing repression during his three decades of

autocratic rule.

Worshippers packed the streets around the

Defence Ministry for Friday prayers, despite high temperatures, witnesses said,

heeding a call by the SPA to challenge the military council.

The numbers swelled in the afternoon and a

Reuters witness said hundreds of thousands of protesters were estimated to have

thronged areas around the ministry, which was guarded by soldiers.

"We do not reject a military council in

principle, but we reject these people because they are from Bashir's

regime," said Abdelhamid Ahmed, a 24-year-old doctor at the sit-in.

Zain al-Abideen vowed that the military council

would not interfere with a civilian government. However he said the defence and

interior Ministries would be under the council's control.

The military council is headed by Ibn Auf, who

was Bashir's vice president and defence minister and is among a handful of

Sudanese commanders sanctioned by Washington for his alleged role during the

atrocities committed in the Darfur conflict.

NOT GREEDY FOR POWER

Zain al-Abideen said the military council

itself had no solutions to Sudan's crisis and these would come from the

protesters, adding that it plans to hold a dialogue with them.

"We are the protectors of the demands of

the people," he said. "We are not greedy for power."

"We will not dictate anything to the

people. We want to create an atmosphere to manage a peaceful dialogue,"

Zain al-Abideen said. "Today, we will hold a dialogue with the political

entities to prepare a climate for dialogue."

The council said it did not invite Bashir's

National Congress Party to join the dialogue because "it is responsible

for what happened".

It pledged to work with the new government to

solve Sudan's massive economic problems but warned protesters that the army

would not tolerate unrest.

"Protest is guaranteed, but it is

forbidden to infringe on the freedom of others. We will be very decisive with

whoever closes a road or a bridge," Zain al-Abideen said.

In the early hours of Friday, thousands of

demonstrators set themselves down outside the Defence Ministry to push for a

civilian government, defying a curfew.

They oppose the decision to set up a

transitional military council and have vowed to continue protests until a

civilian government is established.

At the Defence Ministry compound, large tents

were put up and people brought food and handed out water as the crowd grew.

Ahmed al-Sadek, a 39-year-old trader, said he had not slept at his home since

the sit-in began on April 6.

Activists wearing yellow vests controlled

traffic around the compound on Friday morning and managed foot traffic to and

from the sit-in, a Reuters witness said. They also blocked a major bridge in

central Khartoum.

POWERS BACK DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION

World powers, including the United States and

Britain, said they supported a peaceful and democratic transition sooner than

two years. China said it would continue to seek cooperation with Sudan

regardless of the political situation.

Ibn Auf said on Thursday that Bashir was being

detained in a "safe place" and the military council would run the

country. Sudanese sources told Reuters that Bashir was at the presidential

residence under "heavy guard".

Ibn Auf also announced a state of emergency, a

nationwide ceasefire and the suspension of the constitution. He further said

there would be a curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

But the council affirmed on Friday it would not

extradite Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court in

The Hague. Bashir is facing an arrest warrant over accusations of genocide in

Sudan's Darfur region during an insurgency that began in 2003 and led to the

death of an estimated 300,000 people. He denies the allegations.

The military council will not hand him over for

trial abroad, Zain al-Abideen said. "We may try him, but we will not hand

him over."

Bashir's downfall was the second time by a

veteran regional leader this month in the face of mass demonstrations.

Algeria's Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 82, in power since 1999, stepped down on April

2 after six weeks of protests.