SUDAN
Backing Bashir
Sudan’s army issued a statement Wednesday vowing to support President Omar al-Bashir despite weeks of protests demanding an end to his 30-year-rule.
“The armed forces will not allow the Sudanese state to fall or to slide into the unknown,” said General Kamal Abdul Maarouf, chief of staff of the armed forces, according to Reuters.
Earlier this month, Bashir said he would only step down to make way for an army officer or in the event he is voted out of office.
Meanwhile, the government’s security forces briefly detained the daughter of Sudanese opposition leader Sadeq al-Mahdi early Wednesday after releasing 186 protesters from detention the day before, Al Jazeera reported.
Protests have raged across Sudan since Dec. 19 when the government decided to triple the price of bread and quickly morphed into calls for Bashir’s ouster.
As many as 40 people have died due to protest-related violence and more than 1,000 people have been arrested in the associated crackdown, rights groups say.
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