Sudanese Defence Minister Ahmed Awad Ibnouf announces the army's ouster of veteran president Omar al-Bashir in an eagerly awaited state television broadcast that follows four months of nationwide protests. Sudan TV/AFP/-
“I announce as minister of defence the toppling of the regime and detaining its chief in a secure place,” Ibnouf said.
Bashir, who ruled with an iron fist since he took power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989, was ousted after deadly force failed to end four months of nationwide protests for his ouster.
“We have replaced him by a transitional military council for two years and have suspended Sudan’s 2005 constitution,” Ibnouf said, reading from a statement.
“We announce a state of emergency across the country for three months, and we have ordered the closing of the country’s borders and airspace until a new announcement is made.”
Ibnouf said the military council had also declared a nationwide ceasefire, that includes the war-torn regions of Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan where Bashir’s government had long been battling ethnic minority rebels.