At least 16 people were killed and 20 others injured by stray bullets at protests and sit-ins on Thursday and Friday, a Sudanese police spokesman said in a statement on Saturday as the nation waited to hear from its newly appointed leader.
Government buildings and private property were also attacked, spokesman Hashem Ali added.
The transitional military council said on Saturday the head of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), Salih Ghosh, has resigned from his post.
"The chief of the transitional military council, Abdel Fattah Burhan, has accepted the resignation of... the chief of NISS," the council said.
Ghosh had overseen a sweeping crackdown led by NISS agents against protesters taking part in four months of mass demonstations.
The spy chief's resignation comes less than 24 hours after the Sudanese military replaced the country's transitional leader who had been in power only one day.
Thousands of jubilant protesters celebrated in the streets of Khartoum on Friday, after Defence Minister General Awad ibn Auf, announced he was stepping down as head of the ruling military council.
Ibn Auf said he would be replaced by General Abdel Fattah Burhan, general inspector of the armed forces, as head of the transitional council, which will rule the country for two years until elections.
"This is for the benefit of our nation ... This country has great people and a great army," Ibn Auf said in a brief TV statement, adding that he hoped the civilians and the military would work together.
New leader
Burhan, who was appointed as al-Bashir's chief of staff and head of the ground forces in February, is expected to speak to the nation on Saturday.
Al Jazeera's Hiba Morgan reporting from Khartoum said the demonstrators "have been very clear that their desire is to see Sudan led by a civilian government. Not one led by the military."
While it's not clear whether Burhan will hand power to a civilian leader she said protesters might be more receptive to Burhan than his predecessors.
"Most people are hopeful because Abdel Fattah [Burhan] is not from the ruling party. He also does not have any political affiliation. He doesn't have the same tainted history as Omar al-Bashir and Awad Ibn Auf. Both were accused of war crimes in the region of Darfur," she said.
Hajooj Kuka, an activist, said removing al-Bashir and his allies was the first step to meeting the demands of the protesters.
"We expect after everything settles down to have whoever that committed a crime to be punished. And that should include anyone who has been part of this regime that has committed a crime. It could take a while but we need to have justice," Kuka told Al Jazeera.
Earlier on Friday, the military council had assured the country that they had "no ambitions" to permanently rule the East African nation.
The council also said a two-year timeline for the military to rule was not set in stone and promised that it would be dissolved as soon as a solution to the political crisis had been found.
Will of the people
But the protest's main organisers reacted by vowing demonstrators would stay on the streets until they got a civilian government.
The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) said in a statement on Facebook that Ibn Auf's resignation was a victory for the will of the people.
The group called for the immediate transfer of power as well as the arrests and trials of all leading figures of the past regime involved in crimes against the people.
"In order to implement these demands fully, we must adhere to our sit-in in front of the army HQ and in the capital and launch action in all Sudanese cities until power is transferred in full to a transitional civilian government expressing your aspirations," the SPA's statement added.
Oil-rich Sudan's economy was hard hit when it split from South Sudan in 2011, and the government is currently facing an economic crisis while also battling several rebel groups.
Protests first started in December over an increase in the price of bread. They quickly evolved into demands for 75-year-old al-Bashir's departure.
"We call on the armed forces to ensure the immediate transfer of power to a transitional civilian government," the Sudan Professionals Association (SPA), which has been spearheading the demonstrations, said on Facebook.
A growing economic crisis has gripped the country since the oil-rich southern part split away in 2011, and Thursday's coup followed months of unrest over the cost of living.
Ebba Kalondo, a spokeswoman for the African Union, said it was now time for all sides to talk to each other.
"More now than ever, it's time to engage in an inclusive dialogue, to create the conditions that would make it possible to meet the aspirations of the Sudanese people, to form democracy and good governance and restore constitutional order as soon as possible."
How did the latest drama unfold?
When Mr Bashir was removed, he was replaced by a military council led by Mr Ibn Auf.
But demonstrators camping out outside army headquarters in Khartoum refused to disperse, rejecting Mr Ibn Auf as an ally of Mr Bashir.
On Friday, the new leader announced he was resigning and being replaced by Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan, who is seen as a less controversial figure.
But the move failed to satisfy protesters who have kept up their sit-in in the capital.
They called for the abolition of "arbitrary decisions by leaders that do not represent the people" and the detention of "all symbols of the former regime who were involved in crimes against the people".
"Until these demands are fully met, we must continue with our sit-in at the General Command of the Armed Forces," the SPA said.
On Saturday, Sudanese TV reported the resignation of Gen Gosh, head of the National Intelligence and Security Service which has powerful forces within the capital.
At least 16 people have been killed by stray bullets at the protests since Thursday, police say.
What will happen to Bashir?
He has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region earlier this century.
However, the military council has said it will not extradite Mr Bashir, who denies the charges, although he may be put on trial in Sudan.
This is an exciting moment, writes the BBC's Africa editor, Fergal Keane. It is happening in Sudan but the significance of these forces working peacefully for change is universal.
It may be very precarious but it is also full of possibility, he says.
One of the defining images of the peaceful protests in Khartoum is that of demonstrator Alaa Salah leading a crowd in anti-government chants.
"We call on the armed forces to ensure the immediate transfer of power to a transitional civilian government," the Sudan Professionals Association (SPA), which has been spearheading the demonstrations, said on Facebook.
A growing economic crisis has gripped the country since the oil-rich southern part split away in 2011, and Thursday's coup followed months of unrest over the cost of living.
How did the latest drama unfold?
When Mr Bashir was removed, he was replaced by a military council led by Defence Minister Awad Ibn Auf.
But demonstrators camping out outside army headquarters in Khartoum refused to disperse, rejecting Mr Ibn Auf as an ally of Mr Bashir.
On Friday, the new leader announced he was resigning and being replaced by Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan, who is seen as a less controversial figure.
But the move failed to satisfy protesters who have kept up their sit-in in the capital.
They called for the abolition of "arbitrary decisions by leaders that do not represent the people" and the detention of "all symbols of the former regime who were involved in crimes against the people".
"Until these demands are fully met, we must continue with our sit-in at the General Command of the Armed Forces," the SPA said.
At least 16 people have been killed by stray bullets at the protests since Thursday, police say.
What will happen to Bashir?
He has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region earlier this century.
However, the military council has said it will not extradite Mr Bashir, who denies the charges, although he may be put on trial in Sudan.
This is an exciting moment, writes the BBC's Africa editor, Fergal Keane. It is happening in Sudan but the significance of these forces working peacefully for change is universal.
It may be very precarious but it is also full of possibility, he says.
One of the defining images of the peaceful protests in Khartoum is that of demonstrator Alaa Salah leading a crowd in anti-government chants.
At least 16 people were killed and 20 others injured by stray bullets at protests and sit-ins on Thursday and Friday, a Sudanese police spokesman said in a statement on Saturday as the nation waited to hear from its newly appointed leader.
Government buildings and private property were also attacked, spokesman Hashem Ali added.
The release of the death toll comes hours after the Sudanese military replaced the country's transitional leader who had been in power only one day.
Thousands of jubilant protesters celebrated in the streets of Khartoum on Friday, after Defence Minister General Awad ibn Auf, announced he was stepping down as head of the ruling military council.
Ibn Auf said he would be replaced by General Abdel Fattah Burhan, general inspector of the armed forces, as head of the transitional council, which will rule the country for two years until elections.
"This is for the benefit of our nation ... This country has great people and a great army," Ibn Auf said in a brief TV statement, adding that he hoped the civilians and the military would work together.
New leader
Burhan, who was appointed as al-Bashir's chief of staff and head of the ground forces in February, is expected to speak to the nation on Saturday.
Al Jazeera's Hiba Morgan reporting from Khartoum said the demonstrators "have been very clear that their desire is to see Sudan led by a civilian government. Not one led by the military."
While it's not clear whether Burhan will hand power to a civilian leader she said protesters might be more receptive to Burhan than his predecessors.
"Most people are hopeful because Abdel Fattah [Burhan] is not from the ruling party. He also does not have any political affiliation. He doesn't have the same tainted history as Omar al-Bashir and Awad Ibn Auf. Both were accused of war crimes in the region of Darfur," she said.
Hajooj Kuka, an activist, said removing al-Bashir and his allies was the first step to meeting the demands of the protesters.
"We expect after everything settles down to have whoever that committed a crime to be punished. And that should include anyone who has been part of this regime that has committed a crime. It could take a while but we need to have justice," Kuka told Al Jazeera.
Earlier on Friday, the military council had assured the country that they had "no ambitions" to permanently rule the East African nation.
The council also said a two-year timeline for the military to rule was not set in stone and promised that it would be dissolved as soon as a solution to the political crisis had been found.
Will of the people
But the protest's main organisers reacted by vowing demonstrators would stay on the streets until they got a civilian government.
The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) said in a statement on Facebook that Ibn Auf's resignation was a victory for the will of the people.
The group called for the immediate transfer of power as well as the arrests and trials of all leading figures of the past regime involved in crimes against the people.
"In order to implement these demands fully, we must adhere to our sit-in in front of the army HQ and in the capital and launch action in all Sudanese cities until power is transferred in full to a transitional civilian government expressing your aspirations," the SPA's statement added.
Oil-rich Sudan's economy was hard hit when it split from South Sudan in 2011, and the government is currently facing an economic crisis while also battling several rebel groups.
Protests first started in December over an increase in the price of bread. They quickly evolved into demands for 75-year-old al-Bashir's departure.
But when asked by CNN's Dana Bash if President Donald Trump's view of WikiLeaks had changed from when, in 2016, he "welcomed seeing WikiLeaks and the information that they got from Hillary Clinton" Pence dodged the question, suggesting the President "always welcomes information, but that was in no way an endorsement."
Pence continued by asserting "we now understand (WikiLeaks) was involved in disseminating classified information about the United States of America."
Facts First:It's inaccurate to suggest that WikiLeaks' publishing of classified information is somehow a recent revelation. US agencies have known and publicly reported that WikiLeaks has published classified information for several years now.
In 2010, following the aftermath of WikiLeaks publishing a confidential US diplomatic cable that listed sites vital to national security, a spokesperson for the State Department told CNN the information was classified and condemned WikiLeaks "for what it has done."
Pence's comment also comes across as slightly tone deaf given the role WikiLeaks played in distributing the stolen Democratic National Committee emails, even though these emails were not "classified."
US agencies informed the public in 2016 that the Democratic emails WikiLeaks was publishing that year had been hacked by the Russian government. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security publicly announced on October 7, 2016, that Russia was interfering in the election, that Russian hackers had breached the Democratic National Committee and that those hackers had funneled stolen DNC emails to WikiLeaks for publication.
At that point, it was clear for all to see that WikiLeaks was playing a significant role in Russia's interference operation. Nevertheless, Trump continued citing WikiLeaks at rallies until the election.
Pence's suggestion that it is only "now" that we understand WikiLeaks' involvement in "disseminating classified information" is oddly incorrect.
Though not as odd as Trump's recent claim that "I know nothing about WikiLeaks. It's not my thing," which is also incorrect. In 2016, Trump said, "I love reading those WikiLeaks." He infamously told a campaign rally, "I love WikiLeaks," and repeatedly encouraged the public to read the leaked emails. In 2010, Trump had suggested on Fox News that WikiLeaks' actions were "disgraceful" and "there should be like a death penalty or something."
Clearly, Trump is wrong to state he "know(s) nothing about WikiLeaks."
We'll see if the administration continues to twist itself into pretzels as it supports efforts to extradite Assange after his indictment this week on a single charge of conspiring to hack Pentagon computers with Manning.
A video released by the Vatican shows an aide on Thursday assisting the 82-year-old Francis, who was breathing heavily, so he could kiss the feet of President Salva Kiir Mayardit. He then moved on to Vice Presidents-designate Riek Machar and Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior.
Kiir and Machar were once rivals, with Kiir accusing Machar -- his former deputy -- of staging a 2013 coup. Years of civil war followed. In 2018, they signed a peace agreement in Ethiopia, and they are now attempting to form a stable government together.
"To you three, who have signed a peace agreement," the Pope said, "I ask you as a brother, remain in peace."
The South Sudanese politicians were staying at the Pope's Vatican residence for an unprecedented two-day spiritual retreat, the idea of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the head of the Anglican Church.
Vatican News, the official media outlet of the Holy See, called the Pope's gesture "surprising and moving," one that "cannot be understood except in the climate of reciprocal forgiveness that characterized the two days of retreat."
An image taken Wednesday from the Facebook page of Khalifa Haftar's forces shows what the page says are members of his army in al-Aziziyah, about 25 miles south of the Libyan capital Tripoli.
Photo:
-/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Days before Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive to seize the capital and attempt to unite the divided country under his rule, Saudi Arabia promised tens of millions of dollars to help pay for the operation, according to senior advisers to the Saudi government.
The offer came during a visit to Saudi Arabia that was just one of several meetings Mr. Haftar had with foreign dignitaries in the weeks and days before he began the military campaign on April 4.
Foreign powers including the U.S. and the European Union have looked to Mr. Haftar, whose forces control much of eastern Libya, as a necessary participant in peace negotiations with the United Nations-backed government in Tripoli.
Conflict Zone
Libya is split between an internationally recognized government in Tripoli and a rival one in the eastern cities of Tobruk and Bayda.
Areas of control
Internationally recognized government
and allied forces
Forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar and the
Libyan National Army
Other groups
Mediterranean Sea
Tripoli
Bayda
TUN.
Misrata
Tobruk
Benghazi
Ghadamis
LIBYA
EGYPT
ALGERIA
SUD.
NIGER
CHAD
Source: Live Universal Awareness Map
While the U.S. and EU called on Mr. Haftar to avoid military conflict, other powers have provided weapons, funds and other support that have aided his quest to take control of the oil-rich North African state.
Foreign contacts—even to encourage peace—have secured the status of the Libyan warlord. “They thought he was agreeing to a diplomatic process. He thought he was building up his power,” said Jonathan M. Winer, the former U.S. special envoy to Libya.
Mr. Haftar accepted the recent Saudi offer of funds, according to the senior Saudi advisers, who said the money was intended for buying the loyalty of tribal leaders, recruiting and paying fighters, and other military purposes.
“We were quite generous,” one of the advisers said.
The Saudi government didn’t respond to a request for comment on the offer. A spokesman for Mr. Haftar didn’t respond to a request for comment on the Saudi pledge and other foreign contacts.
The offensive on Tripoli represents the latest upheaval in a country that has lurched from crisis to crisis since longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and killed in a 2011 armed uprising. The chaos that ensued provided ground for Islamic State to operate and offered a route for hundreds of thousands of migrants to reach Europe in recent years.
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What should a political settlement look like in Libya? Join the conversation below.
Libya is now split between the internationally recognized government in Tripoli and a government allied with Mr. Haftar based in eastern Libya.
“Haftar would not be a player today without the foreign support he has received,” said Wolfram Lacher, a Libya expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. “The last few months, pretty much everyone jumped on the Haftar train.”
On the day after Mr. Haftar launched the assault on Tripoli, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres visited the commander to urge him to abandon any offensive and help revive a U.N.-sponsored peace process. Mr. Guterres said he left the country “with a heavy heart and deeply concerned.”
Such visits have become more frequent as Mr. Haftar’s influence in Libya has grown. Days earlier, Mr. Haftar had hosted a delegation of ambassadors and officials from 13 European states and the EU, who urged him to stand down.
Members of Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army head out of Benghazi on April 7 to reinforce troops advancing to Tripoli.
Photo:
esam omran al-fetori/Reuters
The following day, on March 27, he was welcomed in Riyadh by Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Undisclosed by the Saudi government at the time, he also met Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, along with Saudi Arabia’s interior minister and intelligence chief, according to two Saudi officials.
The Saudi government didn’t respond to a request for comment about Mr. Haftar’s meetings in the kingdom or the offer of funding.
“King Salman stressed the kingdom’s eagerness for security and stability in Libya,” the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted afterward.
The Saudis and some other Middle Eastern states have backed Mr. Haftar as a bulwark against Islamist groups, notably the Muslim Brotherhood, who took on a prominent role in Libya following the 2011 uprising and continue to participate in political life under the Tripoli government.
Mr. Haftar has received air support from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, according to a U.N. panel monitoring the international arms embargo on Libya. Egypt denies this, and the U.A.E. hasn’t acknowledged or commented on the presence of its aircraft in Libya as documented by the U.N.
U.S. officials say Russia has sent weapons and military advisers, which the Kremlin denies.
A handout photo made available by the Libyan Army Media office shows United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, left, meeting with Mr. Haftar in Benghazi on April 5.
Photo:
libyan army media office handout/Shutterstock
The U.S., meanwhile, has backed Mr. Haftar’s rivals in Tripoli. But before the attack on the capital, Trump administration officials expressed a willingness for Mr. Haftar to play a role in Libya’s future under a possible political settlement.
President Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, spoke with him by phone the day before the attack on Tripoli and urged him to stand down, according to a senior Trump administration official.
“I suspect he was on the move already” when Mr. Bolton spoke to him, the official said.
After the attack began, the U.S. responded with a public call for Mr. Haftar to halt his offensive. “There is no military solution to the Libya conflict,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday. The following day, the U.S. military said it had pulled its small contingent of forces from the country.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz met with Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar in Riyadh on March 27.
Photo:
Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Royal Court/Reuters
Mr. Haftar has showed no signs of backing down. In recent days, his forces, attacking the outskirts of Tripoli from the south and west, have been slowed by resistance from militias that have often been at odds with one another but have united in opposition to a common foe.
The fighting has driven more than 6,000 people from their homes since April 4, according to the U.N. At least 58 people have died and 275 wounded, the U.N. said.
Mr. Haftar’s quest to consolidate power in Libya has deep roots, nourished over the years by various foreign governments.
As a military commander, Mr. Haftar broke with Ghaddafi in the 1980s and became part of a C.I.A.-backed effort to destabilize the Libyan regime. He then spent two decades in exile in the U.S., before returning to join the rebellion in 2011.
In 2014, Mr. Haftar launched a military campaign he said was intended to snuff out terrorists, a term he applied to a swath of Islamist groups and other opponents. Foreign air power and hardware gave Mr. Haftar’s forces an edge in a country divided among an array of lightly armed factions.
In 2016, France sent special forces to fight Islamist militants around the city of Benghazi in cooperation with Mr. Haftar’s troops.
Russia flew Mr. Haftar to an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean in 2017 in a display of support. The Kremlin has cultivated ties with both sides of the Libyan conflict as it seeks to expand its regional influence to the southern shores of Europe.
With the foreign backing, Mr. Haftar’s forces established loose control over a huge section of the country, including the eastern city of Benghazi and much of its physical oil infrastructure. In recent months his forces swept into southern Libya before turning north toward the capital.
Close observers of Libya say that Mr. Haftar has interpreted increased international attention as a sign of his legitimacy.
“Haftar did not want to be part of the solution. He wanted to be the solution,” said Mr. Lacher.
Libyan fighters loyal to the Tripoli-based government are shown on Wednesday during clashes with forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar.
Photo:
mahmud turkia/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Libya Divided
Since the 2011 death of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi, this oil-rich North African country has become a theater of rival, foreign-backed governments and militias pushing different agendas. In the chaos, Islamic State has taken root and migrants from the Middle East and Africa are flowing through to Europe. At stake now as fighting heats up again isn’t just Libya’s stability but billions of dollars in oil revenue. Here are the main rival players in the country’s volatile political mix:
The Government of National Accord: Established through a United Nations-brokered political deal in 2015, the Tripoli-based government is headed by Prime Minister Faiez Serraj. It is backed by militias, including powerful ones in Misrata, and security forces under the government’s nominal control. The Tripoli government also controls the central bank and the country’s vast oil revenues under the auspices of the National oil company. Aside from the U.N., its international backers include the U.S. and the European Union, with which the government cooperates to halt illegal migration across the Mediterranean. The U.S. has launched hundreds of airstrikes to help the government drive Islamic State from its foothold in Sirte city in 2016.
The Eastern government: A rival government is based in the eastern cities of Tobruk and Bayda, including a Parliament in Bayda. It is allied with Khalifa Haftar, the renegade military commander whose self-proclaimed Libyan National Army launched an assault on Tripoli on Friday. His militias have gradually established control over a huge swath of Libya. The group’s international backers include Egypt, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. Libya’s oil revenues still go to government in Tripoli, which also controls the central bank, but Mr. Haftar and his militias control most of the oil infrastructure. Their attempts to independently export the oil last year were blocked by a U.N. embargo on illicit sales.
—Laurence Norman in Brussels and Vivian Salama in Washington contributed to this article.
