Gunfire erupts at two bases of feared Sudan security agency

Heavy gunfire erupted in the Sudanese capital Tuesday at two bases of the country's long feared security agency, causing traffic jams, an AFP correspondent and witnesses reported.

Shooting broke out at the bases of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), the powerful security arm of the now ousted Islamist regime of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir, in the upscale Riyadh district and in Khartoum North, witnesses said.

An AFP correspondent reported that gunfire at the Riyadh base of NISS, not far from Khartoum airport, was heavy and steady.

It was still unclear what triggered the shooting, but all streets leading to the two bases were cordoned off, causing traffic jams.

Security agents of NISS were at the forefront of cracking down on protesters during the nationwide uprising that erupted against Bashir in December 2018.

The army ousted Bashir in April last year, and the country's new authorities have vowed to reform NISS.