Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has declared a national state of emergency, dismissed the federal government and sacked all state governors amid widespread anti-government protests.
President Bashir made announced the state of emergency in a TV address, but later appointed members of the security forces as replacement governors.
Sudanese security forces arrested 10 opposition leaders and 14 activists during an anti-government protest in Khartoum on Thursday.
The protesters were heading to the presidential palace with the aim of delivering a petition calling for democratic reform in the country.
Deputy head of the Umma Party, Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi; the party’s Secretary-General Sara Naqdallah; Communist Party leader Mokhtar al-Khatib, were among those detained during the demonstration.
Sudanese riot police fired teargas at hundreds of protesters who gathered in central Khartoum, calling on President Omar al-Bashir to resign.
The protesters chanted “freedom, peace, justice”, “peaceful, peaceful against the thieves” and “fall, that’s it” before being violently suppressed.
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The incident is considered the largest crackdown against opposition protests which have been held on a daily basis since the beginning of January.
Since December 2018, Sudan has been witnessing a large wave of protests demanding the immediate departure of President al-Bashir who seized power via a military coup in 1989.
More than a thousand people have been arrested so far, while 50 others have been killed.
