Sudanese forces celebrate after officials said the military had forced longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir to step down after 30 years in power in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, April 11, 2019. (Associated Press)CAIRO — The Sudanese army will not extradite deposed President Omar al-Bashir but will put him on trial at home, the military said Friday as it defended its seizure of power after ousting the longtime ruler. A day after his removal, al-Bashir was in custody, a senior figure in the military council, Col. Gen. Omar Zein Abedeen, told reporters. “This was not a coup,” but a “tool of change,” Zein Abedeen said. Zein Abedeen did not indicate at the press conference that the army would move against the protesters, making instead vague remarks about how he would “come out ... sit on the grass” and talk with the demonstrators.

Source: Washington Post April 12, 2019 07:34 UTC