Sudan: Protestors warn of threats from remains of Bashir regime

The primary protest group of Sudan has asked for an immediate transition to a civilian-led government and replacement of the military council which has been formed after the President has been deposed. Protestors have stated that they face threat from the so-called “remnants of the regime” of the toppled leader Omar al-Bashir.

There is always a fear that the core of the previous regime is not gone yet and will not leave power easily. The Sudanese Professionals Association SPA have reiterated their calls for the dissolution of the military council and instead be substituted by a civilian government which will have only restricted military representation.

It is the SPA which has acted as the umbrella organisation and has carried forward the requests which have resulted in the removal of the President Bashir by the military. SPA led protests also demanded the removal of the prosecutor-general of Sudan and even the head of the judiciary in addition to the disbanding of the National Congress Party of the former President.

One of the members of the SPA, Taha Osman said, “The objectives of the revolution cannot be achieved totally and completely in the face of the backstage manipulations by the remnants of the regime. The key demand is the formation of a civil council to guarantee that the revolution is safeguarded and all the goals are achieved”.

It was on April 11, after about 4 months of the popular uprising that the military had taken over and ended the regime of the 30-year old authoritarian regime of President Omar al-Bashir. In an address to the nation on television the Defence Minister, Lieutenant General Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf had stated that al-Bashir had seized the power in a 1989 coup- had been arrested and was then taken to a safe place. However, the happiness of the protestors soon morphed into anger as the Ibn Auf who had been a long-term ally of al-Bashir announced that a two-year transitional military council has been established and was himself sworn-in as its head.

Hearing this the people again took to streets in complete defiance of the curfew and denounced the statement made by Auf as a complete farce. It was only after 24 hours that the military council had been forced to appoint another leader in two days wherein Auf was replaced by the Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.