Celebrations which greeted the overthrow and subsequent arrest of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir have been cut short as protesters continue with their mass action, calling for the entire regime to be swept aside.
There were scenes of jubilation by Sudanese protesters draped in national colours on Thursday after the Defense minister announced that Bashir has been deposed and was being taken to a safe location.
However, the celebrations died down as the day wore on and the protesters continued to camp in front of the army headquarters in Khartoum, in open defiance of a dusk to dawn curfew imposed by the new military council now running the country.
Without mincing words, Abdel Majid who claimed he has attended every street demonstrationssince the protests began in December claimed “this change is incomplete until we see the back of the entre regime that was under Bashir”.
39-year old Mustapha Hamdel agreed, describing the military council as old wine in an old bottle.
He said Bashir;s allies still hold prominent positions in the military council and warned that the “victory of the people cannot be stolen by the army”.
The fall of Bashir was the culmination of months of street protests which began as a backlash against the rising price of foodstuffs including bread but soon morphed into a fully fledged movement calling for his head.
The turning point for Bashir came when a detachment of the military exchanged fire with pro-government security forces who stormed the streets near the army headquarters to clamp down on protesters.
AR/as/APA