Sudan’s military council dismisses top 3 public prosecutors

16 April 2019 - 18:11 By Khalid Abdelaziz
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Sudanese demonstrators pray outside the Defence Ministry in Khartoum, Sudan April 16 2019.
Sudanese demonstrators pray outside the Defence Ministry in Khartoum, Sudan April 16 2019.
Image: REUTERS/Umit Bektas

The head of Sudan’s ruling Transitional Military Council has fired the three highest-ranking public prosecutors, the TMC said on Tuesday, after protesters demanded an overhaul of the judiciary as part of steps towards civilian government.

The Sudanese Professionals’ Association spearheading the revolt has issued a long list of demands for wholesale change to end repression and ease an economic crisis after the military deposed veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir last week.

In a statement, the TMC said council chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had sacked chief prosecutor Omar Ahmed Mohamed Abdelsalam and deputy public prosecutor Hesham Othman Ibrahim Saleh, as well as head of public prosecutions Amer Ibrahim Majid.

Alwaleed Sayed Ahmed Mahmoud was appointed to carry out Abdelsalam’s duties, it said. Mahmoud’s background was not immediately known.

In its first news conference on Monday, the SPA — which led weeks of protests that led to Bashir’s overthrow after 30 years in power — called for the TMC to be dissolved in favour of an interim civilian ruling council with military representatives.

It also called for Abdelsalam’s removal along with the chief of the judiciary and his deputies, and added that mass protests would not cease until the demands were met.

The judiciary chief was not mentioned in the TMC statement.

- Reuters

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