Sudan’s ousted president Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes, will not be extradited, the country’s new military rulers said Friday.

“The president is currently in custody,” the head of the military council’s political committee, Lieutenant General Omar Zain al-Abdin, told a news conference.

“We as a military council, we will not deliver the president abroad during our period” in office, Abdin said when asked about the ICC arrest warrant.

He said that the two-year transition period can be as short as one month if managed “without chaos” amid demands for a civilian-led government.

“We guarantee the new government will be run by the civilians without the military,” he said, warning that the council will allow no security breaches.

Organizers of the months-long demonstrations that triggered the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir on Thursday urged pro-democracy supporters to protest against a military takeover.

The appeal by the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) came as tens of thousands of protesters defied a nighttime curfew announced earlier in the day.

Source: Agencies