Sudan leader steps down a day after taking power in military coup

The leader of Sudan's transitional government is stepping down just a day after the country's military seized power. Defence minister General Awad Ibn Ouf named General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, general inspector of the armed forces, as his successor as head of the transitional council. Mr Ibn Ouf said: 'I, the head of the military council, announce I am giving up the post,' explaining he took the decision to preserve the unity of the armed forces. Earlier, an army spokesman said it will not extradite deposed president Omar al-Bashir to The Hague to face war crimes charges, as it would be 'an ugly mark on Sudan'. In a wide-ranging news conference in the capital Khartoum, Colonel General Omar Zein Abedeen defended Thursday's ousting of Mr al-Bashir, who had ruled the north African country for 30 years. Mr al-Bashir, 75, is wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague over alleged crimes against humanity and genocide for his campaign against insurgents in Darfur.

from World | Daily Telegraph http://bit.ly/2Kxm6ua