MOSCOW, April 11. /TASS/. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his colleagues have been placed under house arrest, former Sudanese Prime Minister and one of the opposition leaders Sadiq al-Mahdi told the Al-Hadath TV channel on Thursday.
"Al-Bashir and other top officials are under house arrest," the TV channel quotes him as saying. He confirmed that the statement by the Sudanese army that had been expected since Thursday morning was delayed because of the military's ongoing consultations. Sadiq al-Mahdi didn’t provide any additional information on the issue.
On March 21, now-ousted President Omar al-Bashir signed a decree appointing Sadiq al-Mahdi as his aide. The politician is considered one of the most respected opposition leaders and the leader of the National Umma Party.
On Thursday, Sudanese mass media reported that a coup had been staged forcing President Omar al-Bashir to step down. The now-ousted president came to power back in 1989 after pulling off a military coup that toppled the Sadiq al-Mahdi government. Since December, mass protests over soaring prices have engulfed Sudan. Despite dissolving the central government and declaring a nationwide state of emergency, al-Bashir failed to quell the mounting demonstrations.