LITTLE KNOWN
Burhan, the new head of the military council, was the third most senior general in the Sudanese armed forces and is little known in public life. As head of Sudan’s ground forces he oversaw Sudanese troops fighting in the Saudi-led Yemen war and has close ties to senior Gulf military officials.
The head of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known by his nickname Hemeti, was appointed deputy head of the council, state TV reported.
RSF soldiers outside the Defence Ministry fired their guns in the air in celebration of Dagalo's promotion, causing a brief alarm, witnesses said.
"The opposition are demanding a civilian government, but I think it will be a mixed government," analyst Muhammad Osman said before Burhan's remarks on Saturday. "The military would want to retain the defence and interior portfolios.”
The Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been leading protests to demand a civilian government, called for more demonstrations earlier on Saturday.
"We assert that our revolution is continuing and will not retreat or deviate from its path until we achieve ... our people's legitimate demands of handing over power to a civilian government," an SPA statement said.
Bashir, 75, seized power in a 1989 military coup.
The protests against him escalated last Saturday when thousands of demonstrators, apparently bolstered by change in Algeria following similar protests, marched towards the Defence Ministry to deliver a memorandum demanding the military side with them.
Demonstrators have been camping outside the compound since then to push for a handover of power.
At least 16 people were killed and 20 wounded by stray bullets at protests and sit-ins on Thursday and Friday, police said. Government buildings and private property were also attacked.
The military council under Ibn Auf had said it would not extradite Bashir to face accusations of genocide at the international war crimes court. Instead he might go on trial in Sudan.
