UPDATE 2 - Sudan: Government forces retake intelligence buildings

ADDS REMARKS FROM ABDEL FATTAH AL-BURHAN, ABDALLA HAMDOK

By Omer Erdem

KHARTOUM (AA) - Sudanese government forces succeeded late Tuesday in retaking control of all intelligence buildings in the capital following a revolt by armed former security agents linked to toppled ruler Omar al-Bashir.

Government forces raided all buildings belonging to the General Intelligence Agency and detained the ex-agents, a military source told Anadolu Agency.

Government forces have retaken all headquarters of the General Intelligence Agency, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, president of the Sovereign Council, confirmed Wednesday during a press conference along with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

“Everything is back to normal. Airspace is open,” al-Burhan added.

For his part, Hamdok said: "You have followed the events aimed at preventing the public from building democracy. We trust our army and its capabilities. We reaffirm the civil partnership of soldiers to provide a solid and unshakable experience."

“We assure our citizens that events are under control. We will not stop our march and they will not cause a retreat from the goals of the revolution,” he said earlier on Facebook after the former agents fired shots into the air in protest against their severance packages after their unit was disbanded.

A total of 43 agents were detained while Sudanese intelligence announced that the rebellion was ended as a result of negotiations and those who had resisted surrendered with their weapons.

According to local sources, one soldier was killed and others injured during a clash at the intelligence headquarters in the Soba quarter of the capital.

Government spokesman Faisal Mohamed Saleh said earlier in a statement that some areas of the capital had witnessed a rebellion by former security agents of the General Intelligence Agency.

He said the incidents took place in response to a decision by the intelligence service to dissolve the Operations Authority, prompting some of its units to reject the financial compensation offered because it was lower than what they said they deserved.

Saleh said incidents occurred in Khartoum North, Soba and east of Khartoum International Airport and a limited protest was staged in Al-Abyad in North Kurdufan province.

He appealed to residents to steer clear of such areas and to leave the situation to government forces.

The Operations Authority has an estimated 13,000 personnel, including 7,000 in Khartoum state.

Opposition parties and political activists have recently demanded that the Operations Authority be dissolved after it was accused of being involved in the killing of protestors during the uprising that toppled Bashir last April.