Sudanese take aim at ‘deep state’ left by Bashir

AP
A protester carries a Sudanese flag as they chant against military rule and demand the prosecution of former officials, at the Armed Forces Square, in Khartoum, Sudan, Sunday April 28, 2019. (AP)

CAIRO: The Sudanese protesters who succeeded in driving President Omar Al-Bashir from power say their revolution won’t be complete until they have dismantled what many describe as a “deep state” that underpinned his 30-year rule.
That has already escalated tensions with the transitional military council, leading to the resignation of three members last month after the protesters refused to meet with them.
Dozens of protesters last week surrounded a building where the Popular Congress Party was holding a meeting, chanting: “No place for Islamists.” The political party said the protesters wounded more than 60 members in clashes. While conservative preacher Abdel-Hay Youssef canceled a planned rally for fear of violence.
Youssef said in video posted on Facebook that the decision to cancel the rally came after a meeting with Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known by the nickname Hemedti, who serves as deputy head of the ruling military council.
Youssef says they received assurances from Dagalo and others that “Islamic laws will not be abolished.”
Sudan’s Islamists played a key role in the 1989 coup that brought Al-Bashir to power.
The conflict between the pro-democracy protesters and Islamists could further stall the transition to civilian rule, already the subject of tense negotiations between the protesters and the military.