CAIRO — Egypt expressed its “complete support” on Thursday for the Sudanese people and their army in the political transition to come, following the ouster of long-time autocrat Omar Bashir.

Cairo voiced its full belief in “the ability of the brotherly Sudanese people and their loyal national army to overcome the challenges of this critical stage... in order to achieve stability, prosperity and development,” a foreign ministry statement said.

Sudan’s Bashir, long wanted on genocide and war crimes charges, was finally brought down in a popular uprising by the very people he ruled with an iron fist for 30 years.

Defense Minister Awad Ibnouf announced on Thursday that Bashir, 75, had been toppled and detained.

Bashir, who rose to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989, had remained defiant in the face of months-long protests that left dozens of demonstrators dead in clashes with security forces.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who also came to power in similar circumstances, warned last month against the dangers of protesting in neighboring countries.

Sisi said protesters were “ruining” their countries but fell short of naming Sudan and Algeria, whose president Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned last week in the face of mass demonstrations.

The Egyptian leader, who met US President Donald Trump at the White House this week, is internationally viewed as a bulwark against terrorism and for maintaining his country’s political stability.

The foreign ministry stressed that Egypt respects Sudan’s sovereignty and its national decisions, reiterating its backing of the country’s march towards “stability and prosperity”. — AFP