Sudan's military has reportedly forced out longtime leader Omar al-Bashir


Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has stepped down under pressure from the military, which has promised an "important statement" and is meeting to form a transitional ruling council, Reuters and The Associated Press report, citing senior government officials and regional TV reports. Al-Bashir's fate and whereabouts are currently unknown, but critics who have been protesting his rule since December have gathered in the streets of Khartoum, the capital, flashing victory signs and chanting "the regime has fallen!"
State radio is playing patriotic music and military marches and state TV has ceased broadcasting. Al-Bashir, a former paratrooper and international pariah wanted by the International Criminal Court for the genocide in Darfur, seized power in a 1989 bloodless coup, toppling the civilian government elected after the military ousted the previous leader in 1985. Protests against al-Bashir's rule have been ongoing since Dec. 19, sparked by a government plan to raise bread prices.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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