Sudan army topples veteran leader Bashir, protestors vow more demos

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Sudan's army ousted veteran president Omar al-Bashir Thursday, but protestors against his iron-fisted rule swiftly rejected a "coup" by the military and vowed to keep up their demonstrations.

In a sombre televised address, Defence Minister Awad Ibnouf announced "the toppling of the regime" and said Bashir had been detained in "a secure place", bringing an end to his three-decade rule.

A transitional military council will replace the president for two years, he said, adding that the country's borders and airspace would be shut until further notice.

But in a warning to protestors, he also imposed a night-time curfew from 10:00pm (2000 GMT) to 4:00 am (0200 GMT).

Bashir, who swept to power in a 1989 coup, was one of Africa's longest-serving presidents. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes.

But organisers of the protests, which first erupted in December, rejected the army's move and vowed to keep up their campaign until the whole regime was swept aside.

"The people do not want a transitional military council," said Alaa Salah, who became an icon of the protest movement after a video of her leading demonstrators' chants outside army headquarters went viral.

"Change will not happen with Bashir's entire regime hoodwinking Sudanese civilians through a military coup," she tweeted.

"We want a civilian council to head the transition."
The protestors' Alliance for Freedom and Change said the regime had "conducted a military coup by bringing back the same faces and the same institutions which our people rose against."
It urged people "to continue their sit-in in front of army headquarters and across all regions and in the streets."
Adel, a protestor outside army headquarters, said Thursday's announcement meant "we have not achieved anything."