Thousands of military-minded demonstrators take to the streets in Khartoum

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Thousands of military-minded demonstrators take to the streets in Khartoum

KHARTOUM, Oct 16 : Reuters - Thousands of military-minded demonstrators gathered in front of Khartoum presidential palace on Saturday, chanting down with the government of hunger as Sudan grapples with the biggest political crisis in its two-year transition.

Military and civilian groups have shared power in an uneasy alliance in the east-African country since the 2011 toppling of Long Term President Omar al Bashir in 2019.

Military leaders have reformed the so-called Forces of Freedom and Change coalitiation after a failed coup attempt in September attributed to forces loyal to Bashir.

However, civilian leaders have accused them of aiming for a power grab.

A military-aligned faction of the FFC, which included armed groups that rebelled against Bashir, called for Saturday's protests.

Ahead of the demonstrations, members of an unidentified armed group blocked security barriers around government buildings and removed police and security forces from going about their work, Khartoum State Governor Ayman Khalid said in a statement.

At the root of the conflict are disputes on issues of justice, military restructuring and the dismantling of the financial apparatus of Bashir's regime, analysts say. In a speech on Friday, civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok presented a roadmap out of the crisis and warned that not finding a solution would throw the country's future to the wind. On Thursday, civil society groups called for protests.