STOCKHOLM (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th April, 2019) The Swedish Embassy in Khartoum announced on Thursday its temporary closure as a result of mass anti-government protests in the Sudanese capital, the embassy said.
Sudanese Defense Minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf announced earlier in the day that President Omar Bashir was detained, and a three-month state of emergency was imposed in the country. The defense minister also announced the formation of a military council, tasked with governing the state during a two-year transitional period. Meanwhile, rallies in Khartoum continue.
"The embassy was closed on Thursday, April 11, as a result of riots and rallies in Sudan," the embassy said in a statement, without specifying when it would resume operation.
The Northeastern African country has been swept by rallies, which often turned violent and resulted in deaths and injuries, since December.
Rallies were initially triggered by the rise in price for bread and other consumer goods that greatly increased the vulnerability of Sudanese citizens. Protesters, dissatisfied with tough economic situation, later started to call for resignation of Bashir, who has been in power since 1989.
