Army Treads a Fine Line as Protests Rattle the Sudanese Capital
- Protesters at sit-in say soldiers protect them from crackdown
- Uprising against President Omar al-Bashir entering new phase
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Sudan’s army walked a tightrope at a crunch moment in a four-month uprising against long-time President Omar al-Bashir, making conflicting statements over how to deal with protests as demonstrators said soldiers had protected them from a crackdown by security forces.
Sporadic gunfire rocked the sit-in outside military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, overnight and through Tuesday morning, Imam Ahmed, who was at the scene, said by phone. As protesters urge the powerful army to support them, all eyes are on its actions for signs of which way it will lean. The North African country has seen a series of coups since independence in 1956.