Transitional Leader in Sudan Promises Civilian Government

Lt.-Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Abdelrahman, former head of Sudan’s ground forces, says a military council he heads will run the country for no more than two years after the April 11 ouster of president Omar al-Bashir, and that a civilian-led government would eventually be formed. Abdelrahman added that all prisoners arrested by the Bashir regime during four months of protests against his rule would be released, and a nighttime curfew would be lifted. The announcement came on April 13 after meetings with protest leaders, who have been demanding a civilian-led transition government. Abdelrahman was appointed to lead the council after Awad Ibn Auf, the country’s defense minister, relinquished the position. Another general, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, was appointed second-in-command of the council with the resignation of military Chief of Staff Kamal Abdelmarouf al-Mahi. Leaders of the protests had been demanding not only the ouster of Bashir, but the implementation of a new system of governance.