Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has stepped down and consultations are under way to form a transitional council to run the country, government sources and a provincial minister said on Thursday.

The minister of production and economic resources in North Darfur, Adel Mahjoub Hussein, told the Dubai-based al-Hadath TV that "there are consultations to form a military council to take over power after President Bashir stepped down".

Sudanese sources confirmed the report and stated that Bashir was at the presidential residence under "heavy guard".

The military will make an announcement soon, state television said as troops were deployed in Khartoum.

"The armed forces will present an important statement shortly. Be ready for it," the announcement on state television read, without giving further details.

The army and security services deployed troops around the defence ministry and on major roads and bridges in the capital as thousands of people flocked to an anti-government protest outside the ministry, a Reuters witness said.

Tens of thousands of Sudanese took to the streets in the centre of Khartoum in jubilation, dancing and chanting anti-Bashir slogans.

Protesters outside the defence ministry chanted: "It has fallen, we won."

State television and radio played patriotic music, reminding older Sudanese of how military takeovers unfolded during previous episodes of civil unrest.

Divisive figure

Bashir, a former paratrooper who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1989, has been a divisive figure who has managed his way through one internal crisis after another while withstanding attempts by the West to weaken him.

Bashir has also been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over allegations of genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region during an insurgency that began in 2003.

The latest crisis has escalated since the weekend when thousands of demonstrators began camping out outside the Defence Ministry compound in central Khartoum, where Bashir's residence is located.

Clashes erupted on Tuesday between soldiers trying to protect the protesters and intelligence and security personnel trying to disperse them. At least 11 people died in the clashes, including six members of the armed forces, the information minister said, citing a police report.

Opposition figures have called for the military to help negotiate an end to Bashir's nearly three decades in power and a transition to democracy.

The demonstrators at the Defence Ministry had said that they wanted to submit a petition for the armed forces to take their side in their attempt to remove Bashir and his Islamist-backed administration.

What now?

The removal of Bashir leaves many questions, even though his reign was characterised by terror and the elimination of political enemies, like many dictators he has afforded Sudan some political stability. Will his removal lead to economic improvements and political stability or will Sudan turn into Libya and Iraq? What does his decision to "step down" mean for South Sudan's fragile political enviroment?

If there is no proper succession plan,Sudan may become the next geopolitical security threat, especially with regards to terrorisim networks in North/East Africa. Now is the time for the AU to show strong political leadership and not tranfer this responsibilty to the West or China, both of which have narrow interests in the region.

-JP