Protests continue outside Khartoum military HQ

(13 Apr 2019) Anti-government protests continued in Khartoum on Saturday after Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan was sworn as head of a transitional council formed by the military, after the military forced President Omar al-Bashir from power on Thursday.   Burhan, who previously served as the general inspector of the armed forces, is now expected to rule the country for up to two years until Sudanese elections. He will replace Gen. Awad ibn Ouf, the defence minister who had announced al-Bashir's ouster, who had to step down as transitional leader amid a public outcry - with protesters saying he was too close to the ousted leader. Saturday's protests took place amid reports from Sudanese activists that 16 people, including a soldier, had been killed in the two days since the military forced al-Bashir from office. The Sudan Doctors Committee, an affiliate of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests, said 13 people were shot dead on Thursday and three others, including the soldier, were killed Friday. Sudanese police said at least 20 people had been wounded at rallies and sit-ins across the country. Protesters have said they will remain in the streets until a civilian transitional council is formed, as they fear the military, which is dominated by al-Bashir loyalists, will rule indefinitely or hand power to one of its own. According to the Sudan Doctors Committee, at least 38 people, including at least six soldiers, have been killed since the sit-in began on April 6. Protests in Sudan began in December, sparked by price hikes and shortages, but quickly escalated into an Arab Spring-inspired uprising against al-Bashir, who seized power in a 1989 Islamist-backed military coup. Al-Bashir was overthrown on Thursday and is currently under house arrest in Khartoum, military offials say. He will be tried in Sudanese courts for unspecified crimes and is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on genocide charges linked to the war in Sudan's Darfur region in the 2000s. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...