Sudan quells revolt of former spy service men after clashes

Armed ex-security agents linked to Sudan's toppled ruler Omar al Bashir fought soldiers in the capital Khartoum for hours until government forces quelled the revolt late on Tuesday, residents and a military source said.

The former employees of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) also shut two small oilfields in Darfur in protest about their severance packages, a government source told Reuters. They had an output of around 5,000 barrels per day.

Late Tuesday, soldiers seized back control of all buildings where ex-NISS agents had hours earlier opened fire on government forces, a military source told Reuters.

The former NISS staff surrendered after negotiations, the source said.

The violence was the biggest confrontation so far between the old guard and supporters of the new administration, which helped topple Bashir in April after 30 years in power.

Events 'under control'

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok reiterated confidence in government forces to contain tension in Khartoum.

"We assure our citizens that the events are under control, we will not stop our march, and they will not cause a retreat from the goals of the revolution," Hamdok said after intelligence service soldiers fired shots into the air in the city.

Five people were wounded as heavy gunfire broke out in Sudan's capital as several agents of the long-feared security agency launched a "rebellion" against a restructuring plan, medics and security officials said.

A teenager and a soldier were among those wounded when shots were fired at some bases of the Directorate of General Intelligence Service, formerly known as NISS, the powerful security arm of longtime Bashir.

NISS agents were at the forefront of a crackdown against protesters during a nationwide anti-Bashir uprising that erupted in December 2018 and finally led to his ouster by the army last April.

Government spokesman Faisal Mohamed Saleh said in a statement that some areas of the capital witnessed a rebellion by operations forces of the General Intelligence Agency, as units took to the streets, established barricades and fired bullets into the air.

"Troops from operating centres of the intelligence started a rebellion in some parts of the capital," Saleh told state television.

Saleh said events were witnessed in Khartoum North, Soba, east of Khartoum International Airport, and a limited protest in Al-Abyad in North Kurdufan province.

"This happened because those troops rejected the amount of money they got for their retirement," Saleh said, adding negotiations were being held.

Restructuring the once-feared security apparatus blamed for suppressing dissent under Bashir was among the key demands of the uprising that forced his removal in April after 30 years in power.

However, once dismissed by the new transitional government, many of the security agents returned to their barracks without being disarmed after leaving the ministries and streets they once controlled.

Former intel chief blamed

Meanwhile, deputy head of Sudanese Sovereign Council Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, regarded as Sudan's de facto ruler, accused former intelligence chief Salah Gosh of planning the rebellion.

"This is a coordinated plan by Salah Gosh and another member of the National Congress party including some generals from intelligence service," he told a news conference during a visit to South Sudan's capital Juba

"The person behind this shooting today is Salah Gosh. He has many generals active within the security sector with an aim to create confusion and fighting."

Hemedti described the events as "a thoughtful sedition plot that Salah Gosh is behind through officers in service and pension."

Ghosh, a key figure of Bashir's regime, stepped down days after the veteran leader was toppled. His whereabouts are unknown.

Since August, Sudan is ruled by a joint civilian-military body, with the day to day affairs run by Hamdok's government.

The ruling body is tasked with overseeing the overall transition to civilian rule as demanded by the protests that ended Bashir's 30-year rule.