By AFPMore by this AuthorKHARTOUM,Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has handed leadership of the country's ruling party to his newly appointed deputy, the party said late Thursday, weeks into protests against his rule. "President Omar al-Bashir has transferred his authority as chief of the party to Ahmed Harun," the ruling National Congress Party said in a statement. STEPPING DOWNThe NCP was formed a few years after Mr Bashir swept to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989, with him as party chief ever since. But protestors have staged regular demonstrations across Sudan since December, accusing the administration of mismanaging the economy and calling on Mr Bashir to step down. Mr Bashir also dissolved the federal and provincial governments, appointing 16 army officers and two from the feared National Intelligence and Security Service as governors of the country's 18 provinces.

Source: Daily Nation March 01, 2019 08:26 UTC