Khartoum Governor Resigns Over Crackdown on Opposition Rally - Reports

CAIRO (Sputnik) - Khartoum Governor Lieut. Gen Mortada Warraq has resigned in protest to the recent violent dispersal of a protest camp in the Sudanese capital, Al Jazeera reported, citing sources.

Protesters have been rallying outside the army headquarters in Khartoum since 6 April to force the ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) to hand over power to a civilian body. The military moved in to break up the sit-in on Monday, firing at the protesters. According to the opposition Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, over 35 people were killed in the clashes, with hundreds wounded.

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The TMC, however, maintains that the security forces' operation was not aimed at peaceful protesters but rather was targeting criminals who infiltrated the ranks of demonstrators.

Following the crackdown, TMC head Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan, in a televised address to the nation, called for a general election in the country within nine months and announced the termination of talks with the opposition. He also said that an interim government would be created to rule the country until the election.

Sudan has been experiencing months of anti-government protests, which culminated in a military coup on 11 April. The TMC came to power and pledged to hold a new election within two years.

Then-President Omar Bashir, who had been in power for 30 years, was overthrown and then imprisoned. However, the protests have continued, with the demonstrators demanding that the military hand power to a new civilian government.

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