Sudanese Communist Party Rejects Military Coup, Calls For Continuation Of Rallies

CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th April, 2019) The opposition Sudanese Communist Party slammed on Thursday Defense Minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf's statement on the changes in the country's government, labeling them as a military coup and calling on people to continue rallies until their demands are met.

Earlier in the day, Ibn Auf announced that President Omar Bashir was detained, and a three-month state of emergency was imposed in the country. The defense minister also announced the formation of a military council, tasked with governing the state during a two-year transitional period.

"This statement amounts to a state coup ... We stand against military coups, and we demand those who led the coup to transfer power to the [opposition] forces of the [Alliance for] Freedom and Change. We call on the people to continue rallies in all the Sudanese cities until their demands are met," the party's political bureau wrote on Facebook.

The head of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party also called on Sudanese citizens earlier in the day to continue protests and to reject any statements that did not meet their requirements.

The Sudanese Professionals Associations, organizing rallies in Khartoum, said that the revolution forces wanted power to be handed over to a civilian transitional government. People are reportedly dissatisfied with the fact that most of the members of the military council are part of the ruling National Congress party, while they want to see new leaders.

Sudan has been swept by rallies, which often turned violent and resulted in deaths and injuries, since December.

Rallies were initially triggered by the rise in price for bread and other consumer goods that greatly increased the vulnerability of Sudanese citizens. Protesters later started calling for the resignation of Bashir, who has been in power since 1989.