UN chief urges 'calm and utmost restraint' in Sudan

By Michael Hernandez</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AA) – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on all parties in Sudan to exercise &quot;calm and utmost restraint&quot; Thursday following the ouster of long-time President Omar al-Bashir.</p> <p>Guterres &quot;recalls his previous encouragement and expectation that the democratic aspiration of the Sudanese people will be realized through an appropriate and inclusive transition process,&quot; spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. </p> <p>&quot;The Secretary-General reaffirms that the United Nations stands ready to support the Sudanese people as they chart a way forward,&quot; Dujarric said.</p> <p>The Sudanese military earlier Thursday announced the removal of al-Bashir, who had ruled Sudan since 1989, and the imposition of a two-year &quot;transitional phase&quot;.</p> <p>Defense Minister Awad ibn Auf also announced in a televised statement the imposition of a one-month curfew — to take effect Thursday evening — along with a three-month nationwide state of emergency.</p> <p>Ibn Auf further announced the suspension of Sudan’s 2005 Constitution and the dissolution of the Sudanese presidency, parliament and council of ministers.</p> <p>A military council, he said, would be drawn up to run the country’s affairs during the post-Bashir interim phase.</p> <p>Sudanese opposition parties and professional associations voiced their &quot;total rejection&quot; of what they described as a &quot;military coup&quot;.</p> <p>Al-Bashir came to power on the back of a 1989 military coup against the democratically-elected government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi.</p> <p>In a subsequent statement, the Sudanese Professionals Association, which led recent protests against al-Bashir, urged members of the Sudanese military to be wary of attempts by the deep state to &quot;steal the revolution&quot;.</p> <p>&quot;We call on all officers and soldiers of the Sudanese army… to stand with the people against attempts to steal the revolution by the regime’s old guard,&quot; the statement read.