Sudan appoints chairman of new transitional council

Sudan's Defense Minister Awad ibn Auf was sworn in Thursday as chairman of the new Military Transitional Council following the overthrow of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Ibn Auf took the constitutional oath in the capital Khartoum in a ceremony presided over by Chief Justice Abdul Majid Idris which was broadcast live on state television.

Kamal Abdul-Marouf Al-Mahi, chairman of the Joint Staff Command, was sworn in as deputy chairman of the council.

The Sudanese military earlier Thursday announced the removal of al-Bashir, who had ruled Sudan since 1989, and the imposition of a two-year "transitional phase" following mass demonstrations calling for the president to step down.

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.

He further announced the suspension of Sudan’s 2005 Constitution and the dissolution of the Sudanese presidency, parliament and council of ministers.

He said a military council would be drawn up to run the country’s affairs during the post-Bashir interim phase.

Sudanese opposition parties and professional associations voiced “total rejection” of what they described as a "military coup".

Al-Bashir came to power on the back of a 1989 military coup against the democratically-elected government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi.