Sudan military chief claims govt ousted to avoid civil war

KHARTOUM:

Sudan

's armed forces chief defended the military's seizure of power, saying he had ousted the government to avoid civil war, while protesters returned to the streets on Tuesday to demonstrate against the takeover after a day of deadly clashes. The military takeover on Monday brought a halt to Sudan's transition to democracy, two years after long-ruling Islamist autocrat

Omar al-Bashir

was toppled. Speaking at his first news conference since he announced the takeover, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the army had no choice but to sideline politicians who were inciting against the armed forces. "The dangers we witnessed last week could have led the country into civil war," he said, an apparent reference to demonstrations against the prospect of a coup.

PM Abdalla Hamdok

, who was arrested on Monday along with his cabinet, had not been harmed and had been brought to

Burhan

's own home, the general said.